


The Dream God

by aim7art



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Fluff, Gods, M/M, Yakov may go bald from all the stress, Yuri P is still salty, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-10-31 11:50:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10898781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aim7art/pseuds/aim7art
Summary: Every village of the country - Hasetsu - has a temple dedicated to one of their gods. Every ten years a 'bride' is picked for the god, someone who will watch over the temple and pray to the god each day for the village's peace and prosperity. Yuuri's village is seen as the 'cursed' village of the Dream God - whenever a bride enters the temple they are never seen from again. Yuuri finds himself the next bride to their god, and, despite his fears, he finds what awaits him to be a lot less scarier than what he had been led to believe. In fact, the only company he finds himself to be in, for the first few weeks, is the company of two rather rambunctious poodles - Makkachin & Vicchan. Where is this scary Dream God?!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> PROLOGUE IS SUPER SHORT HAHAHA...I'll have the actual first chapter up shortly after this if I can focus~ so sleeepy
> 
> I know 'His name was Yuuri' isn't finished yet, but I've had this idea floating around in my head for days now, and wanted to at least get the prologue written!!   
> I think if you liked 'Snow Globe', this might be interesting for you as well. :) I'm excited to do more of a fantasy/fluff piece...though there will be some angst and drama in it as well.

The remaining dust blew away in the gentle breeze.  Viktor stood, staring down at the empty picnic blanket in front of him. The night sky started to lighten overhead, stars shining down above him, providing little comfort in lieu of what just occurred seconds earlier.

It was always the same. Hundreds of years, and none of them had ever passed, had ever given him what he was looking for.  Was he to be forever stuck in this cycle?  What kind of life was it, to be given so much love, only to find out it was not the love he desperately hunted for?

                Life and love; one he was wasting away, and the other was slowly wasting him. If only he could have given up on this charade decades past, but duty was not something he would shirk.

                With a small sigh, Viktor replaced his mask, turning and stepping through the dream wall. There was a body waiting for him on the other side he would have to dispose of now.


	2. Bride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the village is gathering for the temple bride ceremony, but Yuuri's not really feeling the excitement...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man, sorry for any typos...I'm falling asleep at my laptop xD

“Yuuri!!! Have you seen my shoes?!”  Mari yelled down from the attic. “I know mom packed them away, but come on!”

“That’s because they were ugly.” Yuuri Katsuki pointed out, poking his head up through the attic entrance. “Just go barefoot. That’s what half the village does anyway to these things.”

Mari looked at him as if he had grown a second head. “In my nice dress?! What if I get picked? I am not walking into that temple barefoot! Have you _seen_ these toenails?”

Actually, Yuuri had, and they were gross. His looked way better, but he also was not the one running around playing sports all day with the village boys. Ignoring his sister’s ranting, Yuuri headed back down the attic ladder, almost slipping on the bottom rung. That was what he got for climbing it in socks.

Honestly, he was not sharing Mari’s excitement.  The temple bride ceremony had never been a huge deal to him.  It was very rare for a guy to be picked, or so his mother said, and he had only ever seen the ceremony once before – back when he had been 14.

The temple bride was chosen every 10 years, by their village’s temple god, unless the god was still happy to be with the previous bride.  There were stories that a bride could become immortal, like the god, if it turned out the bride was the god’s soul mate, but the only village those stories came out of was the Sun village, and no one else had heard tale of it occurring in any other village.

Yuuri’s home lay in the Moon village, and theirs was considered the cursed village. The Moon temple was quiet, and their god never made an appearance.  No one had ever seen the Dream God, and none of the brides that were sent in ever made it back out, even though it was not said that their god had decided to keep these brides.  So the question was: what happened to them?

Knowing that, how could Yuuri, or anyone else, be expected to show excitement about being chosen?  He had even gone so far as to suggest to his family, once at dinner, that maybe the Dream God was a horrible being who ate the brides he did not like. Mari had thrown broccoli at him, but it was something to consider.

Brides were always expected to be seen after being chosen.  They were the ones required to keep the temple presentable, along with a few of the god’s servants, and they were always meant to be receiving special prayers from the villagers, along with praying for the village’s wellbeing itself.  There was more to being a ‘bride’ than the name alone.

Yuuri had visited one other village before – the Sea village – and had seen their bride outside almost every day of his visit.  Mila, had been her name - she had been a lovely red head, with a fierce attitude, but kind face. The Sea village was the only village with a goddess instead of god, but Yuuri could not remember her name; something that started with an ‘S’, he thought.

“Mari! We are going to be late…” Their mother called from outside, smiling when she saw Yuuri walking out the front door. “Well, at least one of you knows how to be on time.”

“She’s freaking out over her shoes.” Yuuri explained, glad his were nice enough to have escaped mama Katsuki’s spring cleaning.

Finally Mari came running out to meet them, ugly shoes in hand, a triumphant look upon her face. “AHA! FOUND THEM!”  Ignoring their mother’s groaning, she got them on, following after them as they headed to the temple.

Most of the village had already gathered. The bride ceremony was always an exciting time, but, for their village, it tended to express an air of nervousness.  Everyone was chatting among themselves, some greeting the Katsuki family upon their arrival. 

It was not that Yuuri disliked the people of Moon village; he mostly disliked large gatherings. Crowds made him anxious, and he was always worried that people were judging him.  Most everyone said hi to him when they passed him through the square – he was well known as one of the best singers in Hasetsu – but he suffered from self-doubt and anxiety, and he only agreed to sing at major festivals a few times a year. Even those were a challenge for him, prompting him to usually drink a little the morning of for some ‘courage’.

At gatherings like these, Yuuri preferred to stick to the background, unnoticed if possible. Though it was difficult with Mari being so loud right beside him; she was always drawing attention to herself, not in a bad way, but enough that it was difficult to hide while standing right beside her.

The bride ceremony was nothing too fancy. There was a speech by the village chief, which Yuuri, admittedly, ignored most of.  Normally the current bride would be there, alongside the god himself, standing by the chief at the entrance to the temple, to assist the new bride inside, but theirs was nowhere to be seen – hadn’t been since she had been chosen – and the Dream god never showed himself, so it was only the chief.

It wasn’t until Mari was roughly jabbing him in the side with her elbow that Yuuri tuned back in and noticed everyone was staring at him.

“Eh? What happened?” He quietly asked his sister, blushing and wishing he could avoid all the gazes.

“The chief called your name.” Mari responded, looking stunned.

Yuuri blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Your _name_ , you dumbass!” His sister pushed him by the shoulder, forcing him to start in the direction of the temple entrance. “Don’t get eaten!”

Now was not the time to joke. Yuuri had been chosen as the next bride?! He did not know what to think, or say.  He was not expected to say anything, right? Now that this had become his reality, he was realizing how little he actually knew about the process; not to mention, he did not have a previous bride to assist him with the transition. He was going to ruin everything; he just knew it.

Stumbling up to the front of the group, he nervously approached the chief, who was looking a little anxious himself.

“We wish you good luck, Yuuri, and please think of us as you pray each day alongside our god.”

There were too many formalities. Yuuri was awkwardly making his way through everything, and all he could think of was that, if this was going to be like all the previous brides, he would most likely never see his family ever again. The thought had his heart racing, and he felt his eyes watering. Crying in front of his entire village during the ceremony was most likely frowned upon, so he would have to be strong.

No one was there to lead him past the bell and through the temple entrance – a large wooden gate, with silver symbols painted upon it to represent the Dream God – and he was intimidated by the tall, solid fences that surrounded the entire temple, hiding it from outside view. 

He stole a quick glance back to the villagers grouped behind him, all who were waving or shouting words of farewell. Honestly it was not all that encouraging, but they were probably all thinking along the same lines as he was.  Would he ever be seen again? What was to happen to him?

Well, Yuuri was about to find out.  


	3. Exploration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri spends his first day at the temple exploring, but he finds the welcoming committee to be a little less talkative and a lot more hairy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SLEEPY, I DUNNO WHAT I WROTE? Working 4am all this week is tiring..it's 5pm and I'm heading to sleep already. haha T^T

Inside the temple was almost as beautiful as the outside. After passing through the gate, Yuuri was stunned to see some of the loveliest flowers he had ever laid eye on. Everything was well maintained and decorated – he could even hear a wind chime playing music nearby from one of the Sakura trees.

He had walked up a stone path to the actual temple itself, surprised to still not see anyone. Surely even the god’s servants would come out to greet him? What kind of god was this anyway?

All Yuuri really knew about the Dream god was that his name was Viktor. That was not much to go on, but at least the name sounded nice.  What did a Dream god do anyway? Probably not give out nice dreams; Yuuri was always having nightmares based around his anxiety.

Hopefully he would get to learn more about their god, and be allowed to leave the temple from time to time to see his family.  The odds were against him, but he could hope.

It was quiet inside the temple, and the air smelled of soft flowers, helping him feel a little more relaxed. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and looked around, taking in the décor.  Everything was white inside the temple, white and silver; even the furniture itself and the floors. With the sun shining in through the large windows, everything was so bright it almost hurt to look at.

Deciding to wander throughout the building, Yuuri looked about for which direction to take. As he decided, he heard barking and turned just in time to see a large, brown animal leaping towards him.

“AHHHH!” He was stuck under a very heavy dog that would not stop licking his face. “Get off! Hey-“

The dog finally backed away, watching him with large, dark eyes. It looked friendly enough, but Yuuri was still feeling a little intimidated – his village did not have any dogs.  The only one he had ever seen before was at the Sea village.  This one was a different breed, and had lots of fluffy hair.

Some whining made him turn his head and he noticed a second, smaller dog. It was of the same kind, though this one was almost white in color, sort of like a light blond.  This smaller dog was keeping its distance, whining a little as it watched Yuuri curiously.

“Hey, there…um…” Yuuri waved a little to the other dog, laughing as the brown one licked his face again. “Stop that! So, you two belong to the god here, huh? What are your names, I wonder…?”

A white collar was around the brown dog’s neck, and the silver charm on it said ‘Makkachin’. “Makkachin, huh?” Saying the name earned him another slobbery doggie kiss. “I’m going to have to watch out for you.”

Yuuri stood and walked over to the light blond dog, which shied away a little before allowing him to finally check out its silver collar. “Vicchan?” The dog sniffed him, but refused to let Yuuri pet it. “Cute…” he looked to both of them, “I’m Yuuri. I guess I’ll be helping take care of you both from now on. Please treat me kindly.”

He stood, wondering if they would follow him as he looked about the temple. “I wonder where your owner is…guessing it can’t be helped. If Viktor won’t even show his face to the village, I can’t imagine I’d be any different. Give me a tour, how about it?”

Makkachin and Vicchan followed him as he ventured further into the temple. There were quite a few hallways, and rooms he could not get into, but he did find the kitchen, dining room, a library, some storage closets, a bathroom and bedroom, and various other places. There was a small garden out back and what looked like a path that led up a hill behind neatly groomed trees.  It was a wonder no one had ever seen it before from the village.  Then again, the tall fence that started from the gate did extend around the perimeter of the temple grounds.  Yuuri had never thought the gods to be the secluded type, but their Dream god really must prefer his privacy.

As he was debating on where to spend the rest of his day, Vicchan barked and took off down the last hallway. He paused and glanced back at Yuuri before taking off again, and Makkachin followed. Curious, Yuuri followed after the two dogs, finding himself before a tall door that was decorated with a woven silver banner.  Was this Viktor’s room?

“I don’t think I should just go in there, guys.” Yuuri worried, despite Vicchan’s continued barking. The smaller dog grabbed onto Yuuri’s pants leg with its teeth, tugging gently. “Fine, fine, just a peek…”

Cautiously, he opened the door and glanced inside. The room was considerably plain compared to the rest of the temple, though it did continue to show off entirely white furniture and drapery. There was a large bed at the one side of the room, covered in a sheer white canopy that draped down along the sides. A white box with a silver ribbon around it lay on the bed. The only other furniture in the room was a tall standing mirror, a large white dresser with a vase of white roses placed upon it, and a white rocking chair that faced the other end of the room, opposite of the door, which was nothing but glass window. Hopefully those windows opened so some breeze could get inside.

“Why is everything so…” Yuuri went fully into the room, stepping aside so both dogs could run in and race to the bed.  “Don’t mess the bed up, guys.”

There was a door off to the right, which Yuuri went to inspect. After all, he was already inside the room, may as well continue looking. Past the second door was a large master bath. Everything was white marble inside, including the tub which was almost like a swimming pool down in the floor.

“Woah…” This was way too fancy for Yuuri. He was used to more humble living. Thankfully there was the other bathroom he had seen earlier, which was a lot smaller – he would stick to using that one.

Vicchan was barking again. Yuuri stepped out of the bathroom to see what he wanted. The dog was nudging the white box on the bed with its nose.  Curious, Yuuri went over to inspect it. There was a small tag tied to the silver ribbon, and it had his name on it.

“Eh?!” Did that mean he could open it? Underneath his name there was only a small dash with the letter ‘V’ next to it; V…for Viktor? Not like it could be anyone else in the temple, right?

Untying the ribbon carefully, Yuuri opened the box and pulled out a white silk temple robe, complete with white tie. “We really don’t like color here, do we?” He could barely breathe as he ran his fingers over the soft material. Never in his life had he owned something so elegant and expensive looking, even if it was fairly plain.

“Am I meant to wear this?” Peeking inside the box, he saw a matching pair of white shoes. He had seen Mila wearing something similar when he had passed the Sea village’s Water temple. Honestly, he should have paid more attention when people spoke about this whole ‘bride’ thing, because he felt like a total idiot walking into this so ignorant.

Thankfully it was easy enough to slip on and tie shut. It was clearly meant to be worn over simple clothes, and he was feeling a bit warm with his full outfit on underneath, but it looked nice enough.  He went over and inspected himself in the standing mirror.

“Well…what do you think guys?” Makkachin barked, sniffing at his feet before staring up at him. Vicchan was still lying on the bed, watching.  “I’ll take that as an ‘okay’ then.”

For the rest of the day, Yuuri got himself acquainted with as much of the temple as he could, taking note of where things were located that he may require to do…well, whatever else was required of the bride, besides what he already knew.   The lack of color in the temple made him feel off; everything felt clean, sterilized, making him feel like he was afraid to dirty it, which was why he was glad for the clean white shoes.

A small part of him was wondering if he might be able to go right back out to the village. Surely he was allowed to, right? But when he headed for the temple door, to head out to the gate, both dogs barked at him and Vicchan tugged on the bottom of his robe.

“Hm, guess not…” Yuuri sighed, backing away as the two dogs herded him away from the door. Maybe not the first day then; he could always try the next. “Okay, then…how about dinner? I’m not a bad cook, after all…oh, but we should feed you two also!”

The kitchen was, thankfully, well stocked – how that occurred, Yuuri would have to find out eventually – and there was even a shiny white dog dish with Makkachin’s name printed in silver lettering. 

“Eh? Why is there only one?” Confused, Yuuri peeked through some cabinets till he found an acceptable white bowl for Vicchan. “Ta-da! Can’t have Vicchan starving now, can we? Ah, but what do you two eat…” 

Digging through the pantry, he finally spotted two containers labeled ‘dog food’.  Yuuri was not even surprised anymore that all the labels were white with silver writing.  Pulling one of the heavy containers out, he opened it and wrinkled his nose.

“Ew, smells gross…” He was surprised the food wasn’t colored white to match everything else. Wouldn’t that be something? “Paper under the lid says…2 scoops for Makkachin…nothing about Vicchan. I guess we’ll do one for him, since he’s smaller.”

Taking care of animals was not something he had been expecting to have to do on his first day in the temple, but it was not too bad. It was fun watching Makkachin eat, though Yuuri was worried the dog wasn’t breathing from that speed. Vicchan was a little lackluster when it came to eating, but maybe he was just trying to enjoy it longer. Who knew?  Dogs taken care of, Yuuri looked about for something he could eat. Nothing too exciting, but he managed to find something that required little effort.  

“We’ll have more fun tomorrow; I hope…I wonder where I should sleep.”  It was still a little frustrating that he had yet to meet anyone who could help him settle in properly.  Maybe the second bedroom he had seen earlier would be acceptable.  Would the dogs spend the night in there with him? Or would they rather sleep in the god’s room? Guess he would find out.

He headed off to the smaller bedroom, about to go in when he found himself herded again by both dogs. “What is it this time?!” Was he not allowed to go anywhere without their permission? What a strange life he might end up living if that were the case – taking orders from dogs!

His new companions led him back to the god’s room and Yuuri blushed. He was not about to sleep in Viktor’s room!  “Hey, guys, I think that would be a little inappropriate…” He shook his head, backing away from the room. “I haven’t even met the guy yet; I can’t just sleep in his bed!”

The dogs were persistent, however, and Yuuri eventually had to go into the room to avoid being nipped at the heels further by Vicchan. He really was such a pushover; it was pathetic.

To be fair, the bed was quite comfortable.  Once he had freshened up in the bathroom, he had inspected the wardrobe, glad to find some form of sleepwear inside that fit him.  Now that he was under the silken blankets, he found himself to be quite tired.  Both dogs jumped onto the bed to join him; Makkachin snuggled right on up next to Yuuri, while Vicchan curled up at the foot of the bed.

“Goodnight, you two…I wonder what adventures will await us in the morning…”

It was not long later that he was sound asleep, unaware that this was when his real adventure would begin.


	4. First night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's first meeting with Viktor does not go like he thinks it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah! WE ARE BACK.   
> Also, the world sucks right now, so I'm just gonna hoard a bunch of YOI pics to cheer myself up. T^T

The soft touch of hands leaving his face woke Yuuri with a start. Everything was dark and it took him a panicked moment before realizing his eyes were covered with a blindfold.

“What…?” His hands went up to remove it, but were caught by others that were cold.

“Don’t remove it…”

The voice was soft, but strong, and enveloped Yuuri like a blanket, making him feel relaxed, despite the anxious feeling in his heart.  Who was sitting on the bed with him? Was it…

“…Viktor?”

“Guilty.” The other man laughed; a bright sound that made Yuuri’s heart jump. For a god they were all wary of, the man sounded kind enough. “It’s in your best interest not to remove that; my apologies.”

“But why?” Yuuri questioned, feeling both dogs shifting by his feet. Neither of them was making any noise, besides soft, quiet breathing. Maybe they were still sleeping, comfortable in the Dream God’s presence.

One of the hands let go of his, gently ruffling Yuuri’s hair. “Your bedhead is cute!” Viktor told him, ignoring his question.  Yuuri’s face was melting under the blindfold from embarrassment. “Thanks for feeding the boys earlier.”

“How did you know I fed them- AH, and there was no bowl for Vicchan! How could you forget to leave out a bowl for him?!”

“I’ll apologize to him later.” Viktor laughed. “He’s been away for a while, and I wasn’t expecting him to be back so soon. I should warn you, he’s picky about his meals.”

“I could tell…” This first conversation with the god was not going how Yuuri had expected it to. There were a lot of questions, and he was struggling to collect his thoughts. Would the man let go of his hand already? “Why…why weren’t you here earlier when I arrived? Am I going to have to walk around with this on every time you’re around? And what about doing my duties? No one ever sees the brides that come in here…am I allowed to go out and see everyone again? I know I’m sort of ignorant on the job currently, but I want to perform my tasks the best I can to assist you…”

“Yuuri.” Viktor spoke calmly, squeezing his hands. “You ask a lot of questions, and I’m sure I’ll answer them eventually…maybe, but for now, rest! I’m sleepy and it’s been such a long time since I’ve had anyone else here with me…”

There was a nagging thought in the back of Yuuri’s mind, that he might be waiting a long while before getting any proper answers from this god.  What was going on inside this temple?

“It’s kind of…difficult to rest when-“ he felt Viktor lay down beside where he was sitting on the bed and blushed, “um, when…I don’t know what is going- Viktor?!”

The god had grabbed him and pulled him down to cuddle against. Yuuri froze in shock, having never been so physically close to another person, outside of family, in his entire life.  Makkachin took the moment to hop on up and snuggle on top of their legs, while Vicchan stayed down by their feet.

“Squishy…” Viktor rubbed his face against Yuuri’s, apparently having no problem being as touchy-feely as he wanted.  “Sleep now, Yuuri. We’ll talk again tomorrow night.”

“T-tomorrow night…?” Yuuri was trying to squirm as far away as he could physically get. It was difficult to know what was going on while blindfolded. How far was he from the other edge of the bed? “How about during the day…yeah, day time is good. When we’re not in bed…” He freed himself, hearing Viktor whine as he scooted away, putting as much distance between them as he could get without falling off the bed.  Unfortunately he misjudged the distance, and hit the floor with a loud thump. How embarrassing.

“Yuuri? Are you alright?”

Yuuri scrambled up, flustered and frustrated over not being able to see. “I- I’m fine! Honest. Never better. Ha- ha…look, I don’t like this blindfold, can’t I just-“ He had reached up for it when a sharp command made him stop.

“DON’T.” His hands froze, trembling at the force of the other man’s voice. He heard Viktor sighing and getting off the bed. “I…apologize. I fear I’ve overwhelmed you a bit. I’ll leave for the night, just…get some rest. The dogs will keep you company, and you have nothing to fear here. We’ll talk about your duties some other time, once you’ve settled in. Goodnight, Yuuri…”

Yuuri was still standing, frozen, when he heard the bedroom door open and close seconds later. He slumped down on the floor next to the bed, curling up and finally yanking the blindfold off his face. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Everything looked so…different at night. Was it just his imagination or was the rocking chair near the windows different than before? It was white, right? Even the flooring looked…different. The wardrobe, the bed clothes…but it was too dark in the room to really pin-point the exact differences.

The blindfold in his hands was soft and silky. He wondered why it was deemed so necessary. Was the god hideously ugly or something? Surely not; and wouldn’t he answer any of his questions now? He had a right to know, didn’t he? Avoiding responding just made him even more curious! And why had Viktor tried cuddling with him?! That last question had him blushing once more.

Time dragged on, while Yuuri thought over his situation, also debating whether to venture from the room or not. Eventually he drifted off to sleep, having still not moved from his spot on the floor.

 

* * *

 

In the morning, Yuuri woke, covered under the soft, white blankets of the god’s bed. When had he gotten back into bed? His head felt fuzzy as he sat up, spotting both dogs curled up together at the foot of the bed, still sound asleep.  What an odd night it had been. Looking around, he noticed everything was still the same in the room – still all white with traces of silver. Why? Another question to ask Viktor later, he supposed.

Speaking of Viktor, Yuuri wondered if the god was elsewhere in the temple now. There was that other bedroom he could have used after leaving Yuuri overnight.  Stretching, Yuuri grabbed his glasses and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom to freshen up. Afterward he slipped on some light clothing from the wardrobe and then the white temple robe with his shoes. The dogs followed him from the room, Makkachin bounding along ahead of them for the kitchen.

Passing by the smaller bedroom, Yuuri peeked in. It looked untouched, no sign of someone having spent the night. Huh. Well, maybe there was some part of the temple he had yet to see; would be odd, considering he had scoured every inch of it the day before.  

Feeding the dogs, Yuuri wished Viktor would have at least mentioned what Vicchan preferred to eat, since he still turned his nose up at the dog food Makkachin seemed to like so much. Ah well; another question for the list.  After eating some fruit for his breakfast, Yuuri went to the temple door and swapped his white shoes for the ones he had worn there.  He stepped out into the courtyard, smiling at the soft breeze and warm air. The trees and flowers here were really the only big sources of color for the temple. They calmed him, and he spent most of the morning milling about, wondering when he would get a chance to talk to the god again.


	5. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets fed up with being stuck inside the temple area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wiggles arms* wooooo~   
> I hate when lack of motivation strikes. T^T Couldn't get anything writtennn. I'm having a major suffering in writing these days ahhhhh

Two weeks passed before he knew it. Yuuri spent the time taking care of the dogs – Makkachin requiring the most energy – and tending to the courtyard. Thankfully he knew enough about plants, due to his mother’s gardening skills, that he figured he wasn’t killing them at least.

He had yet to go back outside into the village, and he had yet to speak to Viktor again. Despite having two cute animal companions, Yuuri was starting to feel lonely. He had never been one to have many friends, but that did not mean he disliked having anyone around.  Even the small path behind the back garden of the temple couldn’t keep him entertained for long – there was a gate with a lock preventing him from going further back.  The dogs, especially Vicchan, barked at him quite a bit when he would try to go out the entrance to the temple gate. So he could not even go out and see how his family was doing, who were probably all wondering if he was even still alive. The thought nearly upset him to tears.

By the end of the third week, Yuuri was starting to get rebellious.  Why the heck was Viktor not making an appearance?!  What was he expected to do all this time?  The garden and courtyard were meticulously cared for by now – there was only so much he could with the plants, and sweeping the grounds – the dogs got plenty of exercise outside, because he was too nervous about dirtying up the inside of the temple.  Heck, he had even spent so much time with Vicchan that the tinier poodle was now letting him touch him, and was warming up to his presence more and more.

He decided enough was enough. One morning, after feeding both himself and the dogs, he dressed and slipped out of the temple, shutting the door quickly behind him before Makkachin and Vicchan could follow.  Grabbing the broom, he made his way through the courtyard, growing more and more anxious by the second. This was it. He was going to be the first bride to step back outside the temple in over 50 years, maybe longer – he should have paid more attention to history lessons.

Unlocking the latch to the tall gate, he took a deep breath and opened it, quickly stepping outside into his village.  At first no one seemed to notice him – it was still early morning and not too many people were out and about yet – but slowly one or two people spotted him, as he swept the prayer booth that was situated right outside the temple gate.

“Yuuri?!”

Villagers gathered in surprise, more showing up as the news quickly spread that their bride had made an actual appearance.  Yuuri was hit with a barrage of questions, most of which he had no answers for.  He did not want to leave the front of the temple gate, so he just stayed there and spoke to everyone.  As soon as he saw his family, however, he teared up and ran, hugging his parents tightly. Even Mari gave him a tight hug, practically lifting him off his feet.

“Baby brother! You weren’t eaten after all, eh?!”

“Of course not!” Yuuri laughed, seeing the village chief approaching. “I’ll explain what I can, okay?” 

The village chief expressed his surprise at seeing him, questioning how he had made it back outside the temple. Nearly everyone from the village was gathered around, and it made Yuuri a little anxious to have to speak in front of such a crowd.

He explained how he had only seen the Dream God once, and that Viktor had been adamant about himself not being seen, without giving any reason as to why. There had been no explanation given as to where the previous brides had gone, and the only companions he had were two dogs…who typically prevented him from leaving the gate.

“I sort of got…fed up, I guess, and left this morning.” Yuuri shrugged. “As long as I can, I will come out most mornings and tidy up, and pray with everyone. After all, it is my duty.”

A lot of the kids wanted to see him, and he spent the rest of the morning talking to them, and anyone else who wanted to see him and pray to their god.  Seeing Yuuri outside of the temple seemed to be giving the villagers of the Moon village some hope. Maybe things were changing, they thought. Their village could lose that long title of ‘being cursed’, and they could finally participate in the festivals pertaining to the gods and their brides that all the other villages got to hold every year.

Yuuri felt like he couldn’t really say that it was merely because he had gotten fed up with being alone and bored. He didn’t want to ruin their hope. Really, how could none of the other brides have made it back outside of the temple gate?

 

* * *

 

Eventually Yuuri started to feel a little bit guilty over having left the dogs alone the entire morning. The next day marked the end of the work week, and he was expected to rest from his duties, but he promised to make an appearance the day after that. It was still so hard to believe that so many people wanted to see him, but it was his job to be there for them now, and he would do it. If Viktor had a problem with it, then they would discuss it and he would get some actual answers. The villagers deserved to know about their god.

Back inside the temple gate, Yuuri was starting to feel anxious again. Not knowing why the others could never come back out once they became brides, what would happen now that he had gone out? Would Viktor be mad at him? Sure, Yuuri had decided he would discuss it with the god when the time came, but still…that didn’t stop him from being worried over the potential anger he might face.

The dogs wouldn’t stop barking as he re-entered the temple. Makkachin nearly knocked him over from enthusiasm.  Vicchan was a touch more reserved still, but he whined until Yuuri pat him a few times.

“Sorry, boys…I had to do it.” Yuuri went for the kitchen to make a late lunch. “If only your invisible master would make another appearance, I wouldn’t have to resort to doing things without asking.”

His lunch he took out to the back garden. As he ate, he couldn’t help glancing over at the locked gate that led up the back hill. From what he could see over it, there was a lot of overgrown plant life and a messy trail. If he could get back there he could spend some time tidying up. It looked like no one had done so in years.  The gate itself was black metal, and the tips of each post were pointed; no way was he going to attempt climbing over it. He could grab a chair and stand on that then jump over, but that wouldn’t help him get back over when it was time to return to the temple.

Ah well, maybe after his escape into the village, Viktor would finally decide to make a return appearance. It would be nice if he visited during the day time, instead of at night, like the time before.

Yuuri tidied up after lunch, and then made it up to Vicchan and Makkachin by playing with them till nightfall.  The dogs had a lot of energy, and thankfully Yuuri could keep up. By dinner time he was exhausted though, and the hot shower he took nearly had him falling asleep standing.  While he showered, he sang songs that he knew, songs he had performed for the village and at bigger festivals that involved all the villages.  It was a lot easier to sing when no one else was around, and the two dogs lying outside the bathroom were more of a comfort than a creator of anxiety for him.

Climbing into bed gave way to the exhaustion from the day, and Yuuri’s eyes closed heavily as both poodles snuggled up at their preferred spots on the bed.  He didn’t have to do anything the next day, so maybe he would focus on finding a key to that gate. For now, sleep.


	6. Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally another visit from Viktor, only filled with more secrets...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for now I'll probably keep each visit from Viktor as its own separate chapter, but they could get mixed in with regular chapters too later on..I dunno. *flops* Thanks to everyone for keeping up with me..I know things have been a tad slow lately, but work gets busier around holidays, plus my birthday happened and I was hosting a surprise 50th for my mom, and had to attend lots of family related things, so I've been super tired. T^T ALSO SORRY ABOUT THE FORMATTING FOR THIS CHAPTER. I WAS HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES IN WORD, SO I JUST SAID 'SCREW IT' AND GAVE UP.

Two more days passed before Yuuri encountered Viktor for a second time.  His day off had been uneventful, but the day after he slipped back outside the temple, surprised to see there had been quite the group of people already waiting there to see him.  They all had wanted to share their prayers with him, and Yuuri was able to start getting a feel for what his job would really be like. This was the sort of thing all the other villages’ brides did every day.  Despite the slight anxiety over having to be so social, Yuuri was proud to be able to do his job and help his own villagers feel more at peace. It had been a long time since they had had a bride they could talk to like this, and he wanted to play his part well.

The night of that second day, he was feeling more tired than usual. He barely noticed the dogs getting comfortable on bed with him as his eyes fell shut as soon as his head hit the pillow. Sleeping in the god’s room felt normal to him now, very comfortable.

A tapping on his shoulder woke him during the night. As he grumbled and sat up in the dark, rubbing his eyes tiredly, he heard the bedroom door click shut.

“Hello?” Was it Viktor? Yuuri reached for his glasses and put them on, looking around. No one; maybe it had been Viktor, but he had left not wanting to wake him? Nah, someone had definitely been tapping on his shoulder. They wanted him awake.

The dogs were missing too. Yuuri slid out of bed and grabbed the white jacket he had found in the wardrobe back in his first few days. As he headed for the door he noticed a small note lying on top of a white box, on the floor.  Turning on the light, Yuuri noticed it was the same neat handwriting he had seen on various things throughout the temple.

 

_Yuuri,_

_Please head out to the back gate in the garden. Put this on when you get there, and I will meet you._

_Yours,_

_Viktor_

 

Curious, Yuuri opened the box and peeked inside. It was a white, thick silken blindfold. Ugh,

again with the blindfold? When was he going to be allowed to actually see the god?  Hm, but the locked gate…was Viktor going to unlock it for him?

                With that question in mind, Yuuri headed outside to the garden, quickly approaching the gate.  He glanced around, wondering if he could catch a peek of the god, but no one was in sight. Where even were Makkachin and Vicchan?  With a sigh, Yuuri tied the blindfold on as best he could, having slipped his glasses off and set them on the glass table that sat on the patio. Once he was sure it would not slip, he listened carefully for any sound of the god’s presence.

                “Viktor?”

                A few minutes passed and he was almost ready to slip into disappointment, when he felt a hand touch his back. “Ah!”

                “Sorry!” The god spoke from behind him. “I did not mean to startle you. Ah- wait!” Yuuri had gone to turn around and face him, but paused. “Is the blindfold tight enough?”

                “I hope so…it was difficult to tie- do I really need it?”

                “Yes, Yuuri…” Viktor sounded almost bitter as he responded, but then he piped back up again. “So, I am sure you’re wondering why we’re out here, right? Right?”

                “Ah…a little, yes.” Yuuri wondered how the god could go from mellow to hyper in such a quick amount of time. “Am I…not allowed through the gate? Everything else has been unlocked so far.”

                “It’s not that you aren’t allowed.” Viktor responded, and Yuuri heard some rattling at the gate as the other man was surely unlocking it. “I would only prefer you come out here when I am with you. That could change…in the future, maybe. Anyway! Come along!”

                What was the point, since he could not see anything? Yuuri sighed, startling a second time when he felt Viktor grab his hand, linking their fingers together. “Viktor, how can I walk like this…?”

                “Trust me.” Viktor replied cheerfully. “It’s a straight path from here. There’s nothing for you to trip on, and I won’t let go of your hand.”

                From what Yuuri had seen before, looking over the gate, he had seen nothing but overgrowth. Including the path; how would there be nothing for him to trip over?

                As they walked, it got quiet and Yuuri started to feel uncomfortable. What was going on? Why the blindfold? That made him think of some not so pleasant things – had the previous brides been blindfolded as well too? What had Viktor done to them?

                “Viktor?”

                “Yes, Yuuri?”

                The way the god always said his name made Yuuri feel weird inside. It was like Viktor was holding him, but also trying to be very cautious at the same time…cautious with what?  “What happened to the other brides?”

                Silence answered his question.  Was it something bad? Is that why Viktor was not going to answer him?  “They…left.”

                “Left?” Yuuri was confused. That was not possible. “But they can’t have. We’ve never seen any one of them again in the village. None of them have even stepped out to do their expected duties. I’ve been the first in-“

                “Yes.” Viktor interrupted, sounding a little rough. “Though I wish you hadn’t.”

                “Why?!” Yuuri stopped walking. “What is so bad about me going back out there to see my family and friends? About me doing my _job_? I’m assuming I wasn’t picked to only be here to dog-sit.  Our village hasn’t been able to participate in any of the major festivals, for how long now?  I’m able to give our villagers hope!”

                “Please don’t get angry, Yuuri-“

                “Angry?! Viktor, do you know what kind of reputation you- _this_ has given our village? I may not be the most impressive guy out there, but if I can turn things around for us now, then I’m going to do what I can. You can’t expect me to stop seeing my family too. So just…if you’re not going to tell me why I’m not allowed outside the temple – which isn’t going to stop me either way – at least tell me what happened to the previous brides.”

                Viktor was quiet. When he finally responded his voice was quiet, hurt. “I’m sorry, Yuuri, but I can’t tell you that…they just left, okay? The job was not for them. Some might have even used the opportunity to escape to another village. I don’t know. Just, please…don’t ask me to explain more.”

                That really was not fair. Yuuri felt like he had a right to know; that _all_ the villagers had a right to know. There was something in the god’s voice, however, that stopped him from pushing the subject. Maybe…maybe one day Viktor would feel comfortable enough to tell him.

                “Fine.” Yuuri sighed. “I’m going to continue going outside the temple though. Our people deserve at least that. And if you won’t attend the festivals with me, I’m still going to go. I won’t run off and disappear, I promise.”

                He felt Viktor’s hand on his shoulder, a tentative touch that made him shiver slightly. “I would appreciate that…you’re my last chance, Yuuri. If you leave…I don’t want this to end already.”

                Last chance? What did that mean? Was Viktor going to die or something? Somehow he felt like if he questioned the god about it, he would not receive a response.

                They continued walking a short ways and then Viktor stopped them, turning Yuuri around to face back the way they came.  “I wanted to share this with you, because it’s one of my most favorite places of the temple. But, ah, I can’t share the best part yet, because it’s behind us and there are things that you aren’t ready for…so, for now, the entrance is good enough.”

                Yuuri felt Viktor’s hands at the back of his head, fiddling with the knot of the blindfold. He felt his breath catch; would he be able to see Viktor now?

                “Don’t turn around, please…” The god sounded nervous. “I want to share this part of the garden with you, but you have to promise to only look ahead, not back, and then I want you to walk to the gate and go back to sleep.”

                “Viktor?”

                “Please, Yuuri. Promise me.”

                It was disappointing, knowing he still was not allowed to see the god, but Yuuri nodded. “I promise.”

                “Hold out your hand, okay?”  Yuuri did as he was told and felt something placed into the palm of his hand – his glasses. “I picked them up before we left, figured you would need them to get back.”

                “Thank you.”

                Yuuri felt the blindfold being untied and soon it was falling from his face. Everything was blurry, but he quickly put on his glasses and gasped at what he saw.

                The messy, overgrown path and brush he had seen earlier that day…it was gone. Everything was neatly kept and trimmed. Beautiful bushes, full of soft blue flowers, lined the stone path they had walked to get to the base of the hill he had seen before, where they were currently still standing. The scenery was beautiful, not what Yuuri had been expecting, and he was even more surprised when he realized there were blue butterflies fluttering around the flowers. They held a soft glow to them, and Yuuri felt like he could not tell if they were real or not.

                “At night…Viktor, how are they…”

                “They’re a gift…to you, for tonight.” Viktor replied, his hands resting on Yuuri’s shoulders.

                That was when Yuuri realized all he had to do was turn around; one, two seconds and then he could see the god…but he had promised. He had to keep it, no matter how badly he wanted to turn around.

                “They’re beautiful.” Yuuri watched the glowing butterflies moving about the garden in front of him. “Thank you…”

                “Thank you, Yuuri, for keeping your promise.” Viktor told him. “I woke you late; you should head back now, okay? Makkachin and Vicchan are waiting for you.”

                Yuuri nodded, finding himself wishing he could stay longer out in this part of the garden past the gate, but Viktor was right – it was late. He had to go see the villagers in the morning.  “Say…did you really name Vicchan after yourself?”

                He heard Viktor laugh softly behind him. The sound made his heart flutter. “Oh, I didn’t name him.”

                “I see…who did?”

                “Ah…that’s-“ The god grew quiet again; he sounded almost sad. “Someone I once knew. I will tell you about them, some day. Head on back now, okay?”

                So many secrets; curiosity was getting the best of Yuuri, but he did not want to upset Viktor by pushing into matters that did not concern him, especially if they made the god sound that sad. “Alright. Goodnight, Viktor…”

                Without turning around, Yuuri headed forward, back towards the gate. He had almost reached it when something stopped him. “Ah, Viktor?” He called back, wondering if the god was still there behind him.

                “Yes, Yuuri?” The response sounded too far away, odd, like he was hearing it through waterlogged ears.

                “When can I see- er, talk to you again?”

                “Soon, I promise.” Why did he sound so far away, so muffled? “Hurry back now, Yuuri, before the wall closes.”

                Wall? Didn’t he mean ‘gate’? Yuuri wanted to ask, but his limbs were starting to feel heavy and everything around him was starting to look murky. It must be from him being so tired. He quickly headed back to bed, feeling the reassuring presence of both poodles as he fell back into a deep slumber.


	7. Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interesting visit gives Yuuri the chance to learn a very important, and sad, detail about the Dream god's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE RETURNED, FRIENDS!! While I was away on vacation I got 3 new chapters written, course it was hand written, so I have to type them up now, but will slowly upload them for you! Only had the energy for this one tonight, since I just got home. :D ENJOY!!

The next morning, Yuuri went out back, fully expecting to see the garden beyond the gate tidied up, but was shocked to see it was back to its overgrown, messy self. How was that possible? Had he dreamt the entire thing?

                Heading outside the temple, he spent the morning chatting with the villagers. He even brought Makkachin and Vicchan with him, positive the dogs had not been outside the temple grounds in a very long while, if at ever, considering they couldn’t have been around for too many years compared to Viktor. 

                Vicchan was too wary of all the strange villagers, preferring to sit beside the shrine right outside the temple.  Makkachin, on the other hand, was soaking up all the attention, running around, barking happily. The children loved him, and he had no problem with chasing whatever they threw for him.  Yuuri wondered if he should bring at least Makkachin out more often – it would definitely help cut the dog’s energy down for bed time.

                Despite how busy he was with the villagers, Yuuri’s mind was heavily distracted by the past night’s visit from Viktor.  Had all the past brides really just left the village? It did not make any sense; something about that part of the god’s story sounded fishy.

                If he could not get straight answers from Viktor, maybe there was a way to contact one of the other brides and see if their gods knew anything about him. Surely they kept in contact, right?

                “Yuuri?”

                The voice of the village chief pulled Yuuri from his thoughts. He was an older man, who always looked a tad worried, yet was kind to everyone. Yuuri acknowledged him with a nod.

                “What can I do for you?”

                “We, uh, got a message from the bride of Sun village.” The chief explained. “He is requesting the approval to pay a visit to you and our god. I know this sort of thing is especially new to you, but I think it would be a good idea to accept. We haven’t had another bride, or god, visit our village in a very long time.”

                The thought of meeting another bride and god was intimidating to Yuuri – what if they looked down on him due to the situation? Viktor would most likely not even show himself, except to maybe the other god.  At the same time, it would be nice to meet another in his situation, and hopefully he could get some answers.

                “Alright; I will accept their visit.” Yuuri replied, trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt. “Did he put his name?” At least knowing something about their visitors ahead of time would help.

                “Unfortunately, no, only his initials – Y.P.”

 

* * *

 

                Preparing the temple for a visit was not too time consuming. The smaller, second bedroom had been untouched since he moved in, so all he had to do was make sure everything else was tidied up.  Both dogs followed him around as he cleaned, which was always fun, but Makkachin had a bad habit of getting in the way, which started to mildly get on Yuuri’s nerves.

                What kind of person would this bride be? What about the Fire god? Yuuri had never met another god before; hopefully he would at least be allowed to see this one.

                There was no set date for their arrival only that it was supposed to happen by the end of the week.  Every time Yuuri stepped outside the temple gate to sweep and talk to the villagers, he kept an eye out for strangers entering the village.

                By the end of the week, Yuuri was starting to wonder if they had changed their minds about visiting.  That was until the end of the work week again, and Yuuri heard a pounding at the temple gate, while he attended the flowers.  No one would dare do such a thing unless it was an emergency – temples were meant to be left undisturbed. 

                Feeling anxious, Yuuri slowly opened the gate door.  Before he could finish, however, the door was kicked open the rest of the way, smacking him in the face.  He could have sworn in that moment he heard laughing behind him.

                “What the hell took you so long?!”

                A shorter fellow came barreling past Yuuri, halting only when he was jumped on by Makkachin, who was barking in excitement over the visitor.  “Get off me, you rabid animal!”

                “Ah- excuse me…” Yuuri ran and pulled the poodle off of the intruder.

                “You really are slow, aren’t you?”

                Now that the excitement over Makkachin was wearing off, Yuuri could take a look at the person in front of him.  He was definitely younger than him – teen, maybe – with blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, and was only about a few inches shorter than him.

                The sound of a throat being cleared, by the open gate, drew his attention away momentarily.  Another fellow stood there, dark hair and darker eyes, a stern look upon his face.

                “This temple isn’t too bad.  I was sort of expecting a lot worse from all the rumors.” The blond scoffed, looking down at the flowers lining the stone path.

                “At least he is not dead.”  The man by the gate pointed out in a quiet voice.

                Dead? Rumors? Yuuri was confused, but he had a feeling he knew now who these two were – the god and bride of Sun village; which one was which though?  One’s appeared age was not really a factor for the gods, given their immortality – the god of Sky village supposedly only looked 16 or 17.

                “Maybe he’s dumb though.” The younger fellow snorted. “He hasn’t responded to us yet.”

                “Are you two from Sun village?” Yuuri questioned.

                “Kind of assumed you’d already know that, since we sent that visit request a while back.”

                “Oh.” So he was right. Yuuri glanced at the blond. “My name is Yuuri Katsuki, are you, uh, the god of Sun village?”

                The blond burst out laughing. “Beka, he thinks I’m you!”

                Apparently that was more than the blond could handle.  Yuuri did not think it was hilarious; in fact, he felt embarrassed over the mix up, but how would he have known?

                “Yura, I doubt anyone knows us well here.” The dark haired fellow approached them, and, as he drew nearer, Yuuri started to feel an uncomfortable amount of heat radiating from the god. “Otabek, the Fire god.” The man introduced himself.  “And this is Yuri Plisetsky, our village bride.”

                “And his soul mate.” Yuri leaned against Otabek with a smirk. “We’re pretty famous for that.”

                “Oh, yeah.” Yuuri nodded, holding his hand out to the god to be polite. “We’ve heard stories about it.”

                “Clearly you weren’t given all the details,” Yuri smacked his hand away, “otherwise you’d know not to touch him.”

                “Eh? Why not?” Yuuri questioned, as he watched Makkachin sniffing at Otabek’s shoes. “Will Makkachin be okay then?”

                “Animals are fine.” The god responded.

                “Only other humans will get hurt if they touch him.  Did they not teach you anything?”

                Yuuri was starting to dislike this other Yuri. The kid sounded way to full of himself, and looked down on him a lot even though they had just met.

                “Why did you two decide to visit us?” He skirted Yuri’s question.

                “That’s a shitty matter and I don’t feel like discussing it till we’ve rested.”

                As curious as Yuuri was, he knew he should at least be a good host and show them to their room.  He wondered how long they were planning on staying.

                “Why is everything white?” Was the first thing out of the other bride’s mouth as they stepped into the temple.

                “Everything inside is…I don’t know why.” Yuuri replied. 

                When they reached their room, Yuuri was surprised to see two white boxes sitting on the bed, similar to what awaited him when he first arrived.

                “What’s this?”

                “I’m sure you are meant to wear white as well here.” Yuuri opened Otabek’s box and pulled out a white robe that was quite more extravagant than his own.  Yuri pulled his own robe out of the box and frowned. His was the same as Yuuri’s bride robe.

                “The fuck…”

                “I’ll let you two change.” Yuuri escaped the room before he has to listen to anymore of the other bride’s whining.

                Obviously they would have to wear the white robes too.  Their red and orange colored robes were vibrant and stood out.  Who knew the reason why, but if wearing all white was necessary, then Yuuri would not question it, and he would enforce it for staying visitors, as his duty.

                Makkachin whined outside their door. The dog was probably excited still for their visitors, wanting to play more.  Where was Vicchan though?  Yuuri went down the hall to Viktor’s room and peeked inside.  The smaller poodle was lying on the bed asleep.  He was probably wanting to hide from the visitors too.

                “Where’s this Dream god? Is he hiding in there?” The other Yuri was approaching, already in his white robes.  It did not look bad on him, but the style was different from the Sun village’s robes, and the blond looked mildly uncomfortable.

                “That’s my room.” Yuuri shut the door, not wanting to disturb Vicchan.

                “Awesome, swell.” Yuri rolled his eyes. “But where’s your god? I want to see him.”

                Yuuri frowned, “Even I haven’t see him yet.”

                “Huh?!” The other bride looked confused.  “How long have you been here and haven’t seen the god yet?!”

                “I’ve spoken to him…twice.” Admitting that only had Yuri looking even more confused.

                “What, did you speak to him through a door or something?” He laughed.

                “Every god has their soul trial, Yura.” Otabek spoke as he approached them in the hall.  The Fire god looked stunning in his fancier white robes, lined with silver bands and trim.

                “Right.” Yuri snorted. “That doesn’t change the fact that this loser hasn’t officially met his god yet.”

                “’Soul trial’?” Yuuri was lost.  Clearly there was a lot he, and his village, did not know about the gods.

                “He can’t look upon Viktor,” Otabek explained, “or he will die.”


	8. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri learns more about the soul trials, and what completing it means to the gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another ch! I have ch9 written already too, but I don't want to spoil y'all too much, so you'll get that one tomorrow! & it's from Viktor's POV! So keep an eye out for it! ;)

Yuuri had wanted answers, but getting them made him feel worse not better.

                They had moved out to the back garden to sit, once Yuuri had made them some lunch.  Makkachin had settled a little and was sitting at Yuuri’s feet, resting.  Sitting outside was nicer too, because indoors the heat the Fire god radiated built up and made Yuuri sweat.  The other bride was unaffected by it, because of being the god’s soulmate.

                “What do you mean then – that I will die if I look at Viktor?”

                Yuri was still astonished that Yuuri knew so little, so Otabek explained. “Every god is immortal and, as you know, is watched over by their ‘bride’.  The bride is the connection between the god and his village.”

                “Or ‘her’, if you count Sara in the Sea village.” Yuri muttered, shoving more food into his mouth, apparently at least enjoying Yuuri’s cooking if nothing else.

                Otabek nodded. “Brides are not picked at random either.”

                “Wait, they aren’t?” That was news to Yuuri.

                “No.” The Fire god replied. “A god picks a bride by their traits, personality-“

                “Still not sure how you picked me.” Yuri laughed.

                “You would never let me tell anyone how caring you actually are.” Otabek responded, causing Yuri to faintly blush.

                “Fuck off, Beka.”

                Otabek continued like nothing had happened; Yuuri assumed that was just how the dynamic between them was.  “Speaking from the view point of a god, we like to make sure our brides are reliable and are able to handle the job, as well as be someone we personally wouldn’t mind spending 10 years with, hopefully longer.”

                “You’re saying that, basically, Viktor chose me because he saw me as reliable and someone he would like?” Yuuri felt embarrassed – no one had ever liked him before, beyond friendship anyway. What even would the god see in him?

                “That’s pretty much all that they will explain to you, if you’re properly taught about our history and the bride’s role, but there is more to that, which has not been explained to the villages, beyond the fact that if we find our soulmate the bride becomes immortal.  Yes, we have our brides as connections to the villagers, but we also are trying to complete our soul trials.  It is the only way to unlock the limits on our powers, and to find our soulmates, whether they are merely friend, or true love.” The Moon village's chief had probably given up on properly explaining things any more, since none of their brides ever showed up again. Or maybe he had done a little explaining during the ceremony, when Yuuri had not been paying attention. Oops.

                Yuuri wondered which one Yuri was to Otabek - friend or lover?  “So, if I were to be Viktor’s…” saying it was too awkward for him, “I could see him?”  But if he wasn’t Viktor’s soulmate and he looked upon him, he would…that thought was too sad, and was starting to give him awful thoughts about the previous brides of Moon village.

                “Why the fuck are you crying?!” Yuri made a face, dropping his fork like he had lost his appetite.

                Yuuri realized tears were indeed sliding down his face.  “I was thinking…how sad it must be, to have someone you care about, thinking they truly love you in return, only to find out they aren’t the one and, to top it off, they die…”

                “I lost many before meeting Yura.” The Fire god told him quietly. “Anyone else who touches me will burn up in flames.”

                “Sorry…” Yuuri wiped his face dry, feeling Makkachin put a paw on his lap.

                “It’s a risk, finding our soulmate,” Otabek continued, “but once we do it completes our souls, unlocking our power to its fullest.”

                “Beka’s so fucking cool when he uses his!” Yuri grinned, looking way too proud. “I saw him fry an entire army once while abroad! Didn’t even have to lift a finger.”

                Yuuri wondered what Viktor’s powers would be like if fully unlocked.  What were his powers to begin with? “How would a bride know if they’re a soulmate or not?”

                The other bride shook his head. “You can’t tell. I didn’t know until I touched him by accident.”

                “You were saving my life…”

                “Whatever.” Yuri blushed again at Otabek’s words. “Point is, I could have easily been fried, but when it didn’t happen we realized what that meant. It’s nice – I can finally stand being next to him without feeling like I’m melting my ass off.”

                “Don’t take the soulmate thing lightly though.” Otabek continued to Yuuri.  “Your life is on the line, plus it is upsetting for us as gods too if the bride dies.”

                This was a lot to take in, but it really helped Yuuri understand why Viktor was so desperate for him to keep the blindfold on. “Can you see him, being a god as well?” The Fire god nodded. “What does he look like?” Yuuri could not help being curious.

                “He’s tall, has blue eyes, and long platinum hair…well, he did last I saw him, which was years ago.”  Otabek explained.  “He has long since ceased attending council meetings. Been about 80 years; his mentor is pissed.”

                “Maybe he’ll visit while you’re here…” Yuuri wished Viktor would at least visit him again soon.

                “I hope so.”

                “Yeah,” Yuri frowned, “it’d be easier to only have to explain once the main reason we traveled all the fucking way here, instead of having to do it separately between you two.”

                “I doubt he’ll show to all of us at once.” Yuuri sighed. “He’s only visited me during the night before.”

                “That makes sense, since he’s the Dream god.” Otabek told him. “He can only visit people while they’re sleeping. That’s where his powers truly lie, for now, until his powers are unlocked by his soulmate.”

                He could only visit Viktor while he was sleeping? Yuuri almost felt disappointed.

                The Fire god seemed to sense his feelings.  “I know he can step outside the Dream Wall occasionally now, but it requires a lot of energy on his part, so he cannot maintain it for more than a few hours.”

                “If he cannot visit us all at once, then can you tell me why you’re here?”

                Yuri sighed, rocking his chair back on its back legs. “Fine. I’ll let Beka handle Viktor.  Someone kidnapped both Sky village’s and Shadow village’s brides.”

                “Kidnapped?”

                “Do I gotta spell it out for ya?” Yuri rolled his eyes. “Yeah, broke into the temple and took them. This has never happened before, so it’s troubling, especially since the Festival of the Brides is coming up.”

                “Festival of the-“

                “The Brides! Sheesh, didn’t they teach you anything before you took the job?!”

                “Well, our village hasn’t attended any major festivals in a very long time. I used to personally attend a few to sing, but would leave right after performing…”

                Otabek nodded. “I remember now…you sang at the Festival of the Winds last summer. Everyone still speaks highly of it.”  Ugh, Yuuri thought, how embarrassing, but it was nice to know he had done well.

                “This festival honors the work and role the brides perform, and their connection to the gods.” Yuri explained.

                “But why would someone start kidnapping brides then, right before something so important?”

                “If we knew that, we’d be out there fixing the issue, not sitting in loser village.”

                Why was this kid such a brat?

                “So, what can I do to help?”

                Otabek stood. “At the moment, we’re merely warning you.  Stay on your guard, especially while traveling for the festival next month.”

                Yuri joined him.  “We’re heading in for the night. Don’t wake us early or I’ll kill you.”

                “Right, right.” Yuuri did not want to attempt it either way.

 

* * *

 

                There were still so many thoughts running through Yuuri’s mind, as he laid down for the night.  Eventually he fell asleep, only to be woken a few hours later by someone joining him in bed behind him.

                “Viktor?”

                “Sorry to wake you, please don’t turn around…”

                It was the god, so Yuuri was asleep then.  Such a weird thought – it felt so real to him.

                “Ah, my blindfold-“

                “Don’t worry, just don’t turn around, please. I- I want things to feel a little less…”

                It was awkward for Yuuri to share a bed with another person, but he was glad Viktor had visited and he was not about to tell him to leave. After learning more about Viktor, Yuuri felt really sad for him.  There was nothing he could do for the god, right? Unless, he just chose to never look at Viktor, no matter how curious he got. “It’s okay; I understand why now…” Yuuri kept his eyes closed, startling a bit when he felt the god’s arm drape over his side.  His face felt like it was burning in the dark.  “Did you talk with Otabek about the other brides?”

                “Yes.” Viktor answered, sounding tired. “Please stay safe, since I cannot assist you if something were to happen.”

                “I will.” Yuuri promised. “Viktor?”

                “Hm?”

                “Did the other brides from our village-“

                “Please, let’s save that for another time. I am truly sorry though…”

                It was obviously going to be a sore subject, so Yuuri did not press the matter. “Viktor?”

                “Yes, Yuuri?”

                “Are you lonely?”

                There was no response, but Yuuri could feel Viktor pulling him in closer.


	9. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor thinks more on his situation, and his past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a long chapter, since it's in Viktor's POV. Ch10 isn't finished yet, but it'll be a doozy! Heading back to work tomorrow, after my vacation, so will do my best to update, even if it's only about once a week. *flails* As always occasionally rare updates @katsuki1fan on twitter xD

The last time Viktor had seen real daylight had been over 80 years prior.  That day would be forever etched into his memory as the day his love died – in front of him, and within. 

                Any bride he had let into the temple, after that day, had never lasted a month.  A few got mad he would not pay them enough attention; while others were merely too headstrong and thought they could do as they pleased.  It all ended the same – they would gaze upon him and die where they stood.

                He supposed it was a painless death, at least for the bride. For him, it was another nail in the coffin every time.  He would never pass his soul trial, or have his most desperate wish granted: to find true love, his soulmate.

                Yuuri was his last chance, he had decided.  He could no longer handle the disappointment, and loneliness.  If this new bride ended up not being his soulmate, Viktor was ready to move on, leave this village and give up his powers and life to a new Dream god, who would hopefully have better luck than he.

                Yuuri.  Viktor had noticed the cute, raven haired boy many a year ago, back when Yuuri had been about five or six.  The boy had been having a nightmare and crying in his sleep.  Taking pity on him, Viktor had entered the dream to change it into something more pleasant. After that night, he had occasionally visited the boy a few times here and there.

                Despite the lack of presence he showed at festivals, and to the village, Viktor was by no means uninformed.  He could travel through anyone’s dreaming mind, and, if he wanted to use up all his energy for the night, could manipulate their dreams, or navigate the thoughts that floated around subconsciously.  This he did mostly with the village chief, since the man knew nearly everything of importance.  It was mainly how he learned of the goings on in Hasetsu, unless he paid a rare visit to one of the other gods, but the only one he cared to visit had given up his life as a god a long time ago, to be with someone who was not his soulmate, so they could die together in the end.

                Not counting the time he made Yuuri’s nightmare into a happy dream, Viktor had only manipulated Yuuri’s thoughts once.  He had tried to avoid poking too far into the boy’s mind, beyond his dreams, but, at the time, Yuuri had been having quite a few restless nights.  Something had been bothering the boy and Viktor had wanted to help.

                Turned out that Yuuri had been requested, by the village chief, to sing at one of their village’s own festivals; the boy was too anxious to sing in front of a crowd, and the performance was the next day.  Viktor had tried to coax the negative thoughts into positive ones, but Yuuri’s subconscious self had fought him. Eventually the god had drawn out the boy’s sub consciousness, watching it take the form of the frightened boy.  Viktor had stood behind and questioned him, asking why he was so scared.

                Yuuri had explained that he was afraid of failing, of disappointing everyone on such a big day by not being good enough, for him and for them.  Being in front of a crowd was intimidating to him.

                Viktor had encouraged him, and had asked if it were okay if he helped him. The boy had hesitated, but eventually caved.

                “Will you watch over me tomorrow, and be my good luck?”

                “Only if you remember me every time you sing.”

                “Okay! It’s a promise!”

                The boy had even been kind enough to sing for him that night.  Viktor could still remember it to this day; that soft, innocent and sweet voice singing only for his ears. It had brought tears to his eyes.  After the boy’s subconscious had gone back to rest for the night, Viktor had changed up the negative thoughts, making them confident and positive.  He left Yuuri after, hoping all would go well for that first performance.

                Over the years, after that night, Viktor had kept an eye over the boy as he grew up.  He had longed to have Yuuri at the temple sooner, but was afraid Yuuri would end up dead like the rest.  And he was certain Yuuri had forgotten about that night, forgotten their promise.

                Viktor longed to see another real sunrise.  If he could complete his soul trial, his powers would be limitless, strong enough to allow him to visit the real world without tiring. Out of all of the gods, he would be one of the strongest and most terrifying; there was a lot more he could do once his powers were unlocked, but his heart lay more with the idea of being able to truly, physically, join the real world, even if no one could look upon him besides his soulmate.

                To answer Yuuri’s question that night – yes, he was lonely; in so many ways.  Though…he felt a little less so, now that he knew Yuuri was aware of his situation and seemed to care about him in some way.  It was starting to give him hope that maybe love was not entirely lost from his life.

                If things stayed like the way they were currently, Viktor would be okay with that for now.  Yuuri would still be alive, the villagers would feel safer and he, himself, would not be completely alone.  Some day he hoped that Yuuri might turn out to be his soulmate, but if that were to not be the case…Viktor wanted to spend as much time with his beautiful bride as he could, before losing him like the special one he had lost so long ago.


	10. Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their journey to Earth village almost goes without a problem...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ta-daaa! sorry for the delay; i ended up deleting half of ch10 and starting over, so it took a bit of time, plus I was lacking motivation T^T Something interesting happens this chapter, and we'll be meeting a lot of new characters coming up. Some of our villains are introduced this chapter, but I wonder who they are...

Now that Yuuri was more informed, he felt a little more confident towards his role as a bride.  He was certain he could help Viktor, by doing his job and by not giving him any reason to stress over the possibility of losing another bride.

                Otabek and Yuri only stayed two more days before departing.  Most of the other village temples were well aware of the situation, yet a few still did not – mainly the Earth village; apparently it was difficult for the Nature god to move around.

                While Vicchan could care less, Makkachin was sad to see them go, especially Otabek.  The other bride threatened Yuuri greatly, stating that he’d come drag his ass to the festival if he even so much as thought of skipping it.  Considering this was the first major Hasetsu festival the Moon village would be attending in a very long time, Yuuri had no intentions of skipping, even if he was anxious about going.

                After the two had left, things quieted down around the temple. The villagers questioned Yuuri all about Otabek, most having not seen another god in a very long time, if at all – it was not common for the other gods to visit Moon village.

                Viktor did not visit him again until the night before he left for the festival. Restless, it had taken Yuuri a very long time to fall asleep. He had been desperately trying to, however, in hopes that Viktor would at least pay him one more visit before he left. When he felt the bed dip down behind him, he felt his heart jump a little in excitement, which then had him feeling embarrassed.

                “Are you nervous about the trip?”

                “A little.” Yuuri admitted, feeling Makkachin come up to lie between them; well, it would save him some embarrassment, he supposed, but he found himself missing the warmth of having Viktor pressed against his back. Since when had he felt that way?

                “I asked Otabek if he and Yurio would watch for you at the Earth village-“

                “Yurio?”

                He could tell Viktor was smiling when he heard his response. “It was too confusing with two Yuris, so I went with that. It’s cute!”

                Yuuri was most certain that there was no way the Sun village’s bride would ever agree to being called ‘Yurio’. “That’s…something. I’m glad they’re willing to greet me. I’ve been to one other village, but it was not the Earth village. What’s their god like?”

                “He’s, um, tall…and a little egotistical, but thankfully doesn’t talk much during the day.”

                That was interesting, but Yuuri still had no idea what to expect. He supposed he would learn soon enough. “I- I kind of wish you could travel with me, but our chief said he would be along, as would some of our stronger fellows, so I should be safe…”

                They were both worried about the other brides who had been kidnapped; what if the same thing happened to Yuuri? Thankfully the Earth village was not as far from theirs, but it would still take most of a day to get there, and the Earth village was surrounded by deep woods, where anything could happen.

                “I’ll be with you the entire time, even if I can’t talk to you.” Viktor promised.

                The god’s promise did help Yuuri feel a little safer, but he knew he would be anxious until he arrived safely within the Earth village.

 

* * *

 

                The day that Yuuri left the Moon village, in a carriage with the chief and a few others, it was overcast and humid. Not exactly the most pleasant for traveling, but Makkachin, who was along for the ride, seemed to at least be enjoying his journey away from the temple. Vicchan had refused to leave the grounds, so Yuuri had been forced to leave the other poodle behind, glad he would only be away for two days.

                Everyone was a little on edge, wary about anything potentially happening to Yuuri during their trip. Watching out the carriage window, Yuuri took in the scenery, wondering the entire time if he would see the kidnappers before they attacked – _if_ they attacked.

                No one stopped them, or outright attacked them, however.  Yuuri almost felt like he could relax and enjoy the last leg of their journey, especially with a napping poodle spread over his lap.  The woods belonging to Earth village were slowly enveloping them now, and he had never been surrounded by so much wildlife. There were birds he had never seen before, and once he was certain he had spotted a deer peeking out at them from behind a tree.  This area was different from the location of Sea village, which was surrounded by open land and bordered by the Hasetsu Sea.

                A strange sight soon caught Yuuri’s attention as they were soon reaching the village.  Dark shadows appeared to be moving throughout the trees; not the thin ones caused by afternoon sun through the tree tops, but dense, almost figure-shaped masses that contorted and peeked around trunks and undergrowth as they neared the dirt road.

                “Um…” Yuuri tugged at the Chief’s sleeve, pointing them out.  As soon as everyone in the carriage was aware of the approaching abnormalities, tensions rose as did confusion. Not one of them had seen such a thing before.

                The chief urged the driver to hurry, but they were too late.  One of the carriage wheels snapped off, the impact, as the carriage jolted down, tossed everyone to the far right. The horses were panicking, running and dragging the crooked carriage along. The sounds were awful, and Yuuri could barely keep himself upright.  Suddenly the ropes keeping the horses attached snapped and the carriage quickened to a stop, tossing everyone forward again, as the horses ran off.

                What appeared to be shadowed fingers gripped the window frame of the carriage door; they were blurred around the edges, and something about seeing them made Yuuri feel incredibly ill. The door was ripped open, flung aside, and the men inside barely had time to react before Yuuri felt himself being pulled from the carriage. The instant the shadowed hands touched him he thought he would vomit. His head was hurting, everything looked distorted, and his legs offered no assistance as he felt himself being dragged away on the dirt road.

                He could vaguely hear the Chief and other men yelling after him, but he could not see if they were chasing after him and this strange figure that had him in its grip.

                _Viktor…_ Yuuri thought of the god and wished he was there with him in that moment, physically. _I’m so scared!_

                Suddenly he felt something wrap around his ankles, yanking him in the opposite direction of which the figure was dragging him.  The figure screeched a sound that turned Yuuri’s heart cold and turned his vision near dark.  Whatever had a hold of Yuuri now was stronger than the shadowed being; he felt himself freed from the figure’s grasp, now being dragged back along the ground the other way.  His vision had cleared the instant the figure’s hands left him, but he still felt nauseous, and was also hurting from every bump he hit on the hard ground.  When he looked to see what had him now, he was surprised to see a multitude of thin vines wrapped around both ankles. The vines went on a long distance, lost in the undergrowth; which Yuuri now realized was wearing he was being dragged.

                Past the carriage he went, hearing the other men still calling out and running after him, and he was soon being pulled through bush and denser foliage.  Twigs and leaves attacked his face, and he cried out as his journey never seemed to stop. Where was he being taken? Who was dragging him now?

                His feet were lifted off the ground and he found his back slamming into the abnormally large trunk of a tree. As he hung upside down, more vines wrapped themselves around him, pinning his entire body to the trunk.  Only vaguely was Yuuri aware of the odd…liveliness of the tree, as he called out for help and struggled against his bonds.  Branches shook around him, leaves rustling, as long limbs and thinner branches closed in front of his face, forming a barrier to the rest of the woods.

                As his view of the area around him was blocked, Yuuri caught a final glance of the shadowed figures, more having appeared after the one who had dragged him off. They were all shrieking in what felt like rage, and the combined sound made Yuuri’s head feel like it would split in two. Eventually the figures gave up, and Yuuri could only assume they had left, since he could no longer see past the entwined branches enclosing him.

                _No way I’m sticking around here…_ Yuuri continued to struggle, hoping to free at least one arm, but the vines were too tight, too strong. The blood was rushing to his head, and he still felt like he could throw up at any second.

                Panic slowly settled as he found he was truly stuck and not able to go anywhere. Would the others be able to find him? What kind of tree was this, and was it…breathing?

                New terror found him as he realized the tree was, indeed, breathing or, at least, making the same motion as if it were doing so.  Was the tree alive? Gosh, of course the tree was _alive,_ Yuuri laughed at his own stupidity, but alive like…human alive?

                As he was contemplating the tree’s livelihood, he started to hear faded voices coming from outside the confines of his little branch cave. Relieved that the others had found him, he tried calling out once more, hoping they would hear him. His yells were met with responses, and he was sure he heard his name once or twice.  Then he heard a new voice, a female one.  Eh?

                Soon the branches were parting from around him and he could see the light once more. Unfortunately the vines still kept a firm hold of him, and he really hoped whoever was out there with his companions could help get him released.

                “What did you catch this time?” The female’s voice was clearer now, and Yuuri heard giggling. Finally the newcomer came into view, along with the rest of his companions; the lady was young, with short dark hair and bright, caring eyes.  She also happened to be wearing the robes of bride status, though hers were of more earthy colors, brown with green designs and trim, and she had boots on that appeared to be quite long and heavy duty, perfect for walking through the dense wood.

                “Can you get me down?” Yuuri questioned, sounding rather desperate.  If this was the Earth village’s bride, surely she was familiar enough with these woods. Maybe the tree was acting on the Nature god’s powers.

                “I’m surprised he hasn’t let you down already!” The lady grinned, but reached over and gently patted the tree’s trunk. “Honey, can you let the poor fellow down now?”

                Before Yuuri had time to wonder why she spoke to the tree as such, he felt the vines loosening and he slipped down the trunk to land on the ground. “Ow…gently would have been nice…”

                “Sorry about that.” The other bride assisted him with standing upright.  Yuuri had to hold onto the tree as his legs felt wobbly for a few seconds, and a slight rush of dizziness overtook him.  “How did you get caught up? I heard disturbance during my walk, but I missed all the action!”

                Yuuri was about to respond when the sick feeling finally overtook him.  There was enough time to turn and avoid the lady, and he ended up vomiting all over the base of the tree.

                The other bride made a startled sound and then burst into laughter. “You did not just do that…” The tree seemed to be in protest, branches shaking violently.

                “Sorry…” Yuuri patted the tree trunk, “I hope you’ll forgive me one day…” The taste in his mouth was awful, and he was trying not to laugh over the fact he had just apologized to a tree for throwing up on it.

                “Yuuri, are you alright?” The Chief approached, concern and worry on his face. “Those things disappeared, but they destroyed our carriage. The driver’s dead too…”

                Hearing more of the aftermath of the incident had Yuuri feeling sick again. They had lost their driver, and the carriage. Thankfully no one else was seriously injured, but the entire situation had him feeling uneasy.  Those figures, they had to be involved with the kidnapping, right? It would make sense, since they tried to drag him away.

                “We should get to the village before it starts getting too dark…” Yuuri told them, “I’m worried those things will return. Hopefully Otabek and Yuri arrived already and warned the Nature god about the situation. I’ll explain what happened to him too, miss…”

                “Isabella.” The other bride named herself, with a huge grin. “And no worries, he already knows about what happened.”

                “Eh?” Yuuri looked around. “Is he here?”

                Isabella nodded, laughing again. “Yeah! You just threw up on him!”


	11. Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets to meet some of the other brides and gods, but the day of the festival brings trouble that leads to an unfortunate event...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CH11 IS FINALLY DONE OML. I may have stuffed a bit into this chapter, but things are really rolling now~ and by rolling, I mean...FUN...and by 'fun' I mean...well, stuff happens. Lol.  
> Progress updates are, as always, through @katsuki1fan or my personal twitter @aim7art  
> NOTE: November is NaNoWriMo month..while it's still some time off, I'd like to give a heads up that I will NOT be working on fanfics during that month. Instead I will be working on my personal original work (because I gottaaaa)

Yuri had to excuse himself from the room for a short bit after being told about Yuuri’s mishap with the Nature god.  Apparently, as Yuuri was now finding out, Yuri and the Nature god were at odds with one another, and hearing that the god had been vomited on…it had been too much for the other bride to handle. He was laughing hysterically out in the hallway.

                The god in question was currently sitting on a couch, an unamused look upon his face.  He had introduced himself to Yuuri and the others as JJ.  And, while Viktor had told Yuuri before that the Nature god was of few words, JJ was actually quite chatty…and full of himself, or maybe he was merely overly confident.  Of course, the Dream god most likely had been talking about when JJ was stuck in his other form; clearly the god would not be able to talk much while a tree.

                “So…you’re stuck spending your day as a tree?” The explanation had not fazed Yuuri, who knew of the gods’ soul trials. However, his village’s chief, and their other companions, had to be told everything, so they would understand. The chief now understood why no one in their village had seen the Dream god, and he hoped it would be alright to explain this to the rest of their village upon their return home.   “Does that mean Isabella isn’t your soul mate?”

                JJ nodded. “It’s true; she isn’t, but I haven’t changed brides since she joined me, and I don’t intend on doing so either.” Sure, in not doing so meant he would not complete his soul trial, at least while Isabella was with him, but Yuuri could understand why he would rather stay with the person he loves for as long as he was able.  At least they could see one another, and Isabella would not die for it. Yuuri was starting to feel a smidge jealous of the other brides, though he did not know what the other gods and their brides’  - who he had yet to meet - relationships were like. Were the others as dangerous as his relationship with Viktor?

                “Being a tree isn’t too bad.” JJ shrugged. “I can connect with the entirety of the woods surrounding our village, and make sure everything is healthy and safe, or know when intruders are coming.”

                “And he’s a big, handsome tree!” Isabella chimed in, having brought tea for everyone, which Yuuri was grateful for – he was still feeling a little unsettled from their earlier adventures, and some of the small cuts he had gotten, while being dragged through the woods, itched under their bandages.  JJ grinned at his bride’s praise, while Yuri, who was finally returning, gagged from the doorway.

                “You’re into weird things, Bella.” The Fire god’s bride commented, flopping down on a chair next to Otabek. “And you’re telling me this loser can ‘see’ what’s going on in the entire woods, yet he couldn’t react sooner to save these goons?”

                He did kind of have a point, and Yuuri wished JJ would have rescued them sooner – and less painfully.

                “I’ll admit, I was distracted,” JJ responded, glaring at Yuri, “but my distraction was relevant. There were some odd disturbances down in the southern section of the woods, and I have reason to believe they were most likely used as a distraction while the rest of their group attacked Yuuri and his companions. Also, I sensed a familiar presence, but there was no time for me to confirm if it was them or not…it’s troubling.”

                It all had to do with those other two brides disappearing, had to. “I’m hoping Viktor will visit tonight to discuss it, a real visit. He did pay me a dream visit when we visited Yuuri…” Otabek looked as concerned as JJ sounded.  This entire situation was apparently as confusing and new to the gods as it was to their brides and everyone else in the room.

                “I doubt it.” JJ laughed shortly. “That guy will have a hard time in a place as colorful as this. It’s not like Haven; he needs a lot of focus and energy to physically manifest anywhere else, outside of dreams. You know that.”

                Too colorful? Yuuri stared at JJ, curious. “Is that why everything is white or silver back at our temple?” He was no longer wearing his white temple robes, only because they had gotten dirty back in the woods and were currently being washed. The Earth temple robes were not as comfy, made out of somewhat scratchy material.

                JJ nodded, shrugging. “He explained it to me once before, but I haven’t really spoken to him in years, so memories a tad fuzzy. Something about how having everything be as colorless and detail-less as possible, helps him focus and concentrate all of his energy to bring himself into the waking world. If he had his soulmate, he would not need to drain himself for days every time he wanted to spend even a few hours as an actual physical being. Even if he had his soulmate though, I don’t think he’d want to do that, be in the waking world 24/7.”

                “Why not?”

                “Because no one will still be allowed to see him.” Isabella answered Yuuri, a sad smile on her pretty face. “Besides his soulmate, at least.”

                Yuuri was confused. Viktor would still be stuck in almost the same position he had been? “I don’t understand…”

                “Idiot.” Yuri rolled his eyes. “No one can touch Beka still but me, remember? It’s the same deal, basically.”

                “You will have to ask Viktor the details.” JJ waved a hand dismissively. “None of us are truly aware of the extent of the others’ awakened powers, once their soul trial has been complete.  We do know he’ll be able to be seen by his soulmate, at least, well, plus also us gods, but other than that…he’ll be able to travel into the waking world more easily and often.  The only other people who know a god’s true powers would be their mentor, and the creator.”

                The creator? Mentors? Yuuri was hearing more things he did not understand, but he was certain if he asked Viktor he would get some kind of response. Well, that was if Viktor would even be able to visit him. Why hadn’t Viktor told him he might not be able to see him while he was outside the temple? The god did not have to be there physically though, so surely he could still see him in his dreams?

                Wait, had any of those visits, back at the temple, been in the actual physical world and not the dream world? Some had felt so real, especially when Viktor had held him. The one where he went to the garden, that time had been in his dreams; he knew because the back gardens had not looked the same in the morning. So…Viktor had actually physically visited him some of those instances? Possibly?

                “Yuuri?”

                Pulled from his thoughts, Yuuri looked over at his chief who had spoken. “Ah, yes?”

                “It’s late, and you should rest after our ‘exciting’ afternoon.” The chief spoke. “We’ll have more time to discuss the issues in question later, before we head back home after the festival.”

                “Bella will spend the morning with you tomorrow, to teach you about the festival, since it’s been a long time since we’ve had the Moon village participating. I’m sure our visiting princess here would be glad to help too.” JJ smirked over at Yuri who flicked him off with a growl.

                “Piss off, JJ!”

 

* * *

 

                “Rise and shine!”

                Yuuri winced as the curtains to his guest room at the Earth temple were pulled back, letting in way too much light for his poor eyes. Blinking, he saw Isabella standing cheerfully by his bedside, and panicked, drawing the blankets up to his chin. “Ah!!”

                The other bride giggled. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t checking you out! It’s getting late in the morning, and we have plenty to do today!”

                By ‘late’ she meant only shortly after sunrise, which had Yuuri groaning. Apparently she had gone out to send JJ off for the day, and was always quick to get to work right after.

                Yuuri had to admit she was very nice, nicer than Yuri was that was for sure, but she had way too much energy in the mornings, and he did not. Thankfully she went off to tidy up the outside front of the temple while Yuuri ate breakfast, giving him some more time to wake up in peace. Well, at least until Yuri came stomping in and angrily shoved toast into his mouth.

                “Uh, good morning…Yuri.”

                “Shut up, asshole.”

                Oh, god. Never mind then. Yuuri quietly went back to his own food, wondering why the younger fellow was in such a foul mood this morning.  That glare was too intimidating to encourage questions.

                By the time Isabella returned, Yuuri was dressed, thankfully back in his own comfier robes, and he gratefully followed along the other bride, glad Yuri had not joined them yet. Maybe the kid just needed a few more hours to get over…whatever it was that was aggravating him.

                Isabella showed him outside the gate of the Earth temple, which had been transformed overnight. The shrine was still accessible, but there was now a stage set up nearby – merely a basic wooden platform with a few steps up to it. Banners for all of the villages were hung over the platform, and Yuuri was glad to see his chief helping Earth village’s chief to set up the Moon village’s own banner. It had been a long time since their village got to send their banner off to a festival.  Hopefully the villagers here would be as pleased to see them attending.

                The festival would start later that afternoon, and it was very simple for Yuuri to remember. There would be a speech from the villages’ chiefs, and each of the brides would get to greet the festival goers as well. Most of the evening would be celebration and people would get to interact with the brides of other villages. Apparently a few of the other gods would be there as well, but later Yuuri discovered Otabek had chosen to remain inside the temple for the event, due to the threat he posed to anyone besides Yuri.

                Apparently that was what had put Yuri in such a foul mood all day – he had to attend the festival alone, without Otabek by his side, and he was not having it. Even when Yuuri offered to stay by his side – more so for selfish reasons, due to Yuuri’s anxiety over dealing with the large, unfamiliar crowds – the younger bride refused to accept that as a reasonable substitute.

                As the day drew on, quite the large crowd was gathering outside the temple, as people prepared for the festival.  The gathering was making Yuuri increasingly nervous, but he knew he would survive – he always did. He became increasingly quieter as the time of the festival drew close. An assistant had been assigned to him, which was helpful for not getting lost, but the kid was way too hyper and chatty for his tastes.  The kid was especially excited since this was the first Moon village bride he had ever seen, and he informed Yuuri that all the villagers, and visitors for the festival, would all probably be as equally curious about him since a visiting bride from Moon village was so unheard of. Yuuri would be a popular guest that night, and knowing it made him all the more anxious.

                “Oooh, Yuuri! It’s almost time for you to get to the stage! I wonder why there’s so much more security than usual though…”

                “I don’t know, Minami…” Actually, Yuuri was quite certain he knew why. With the other two brides who had been kidnapped, and then what had happened on Yuuri’s way here, the chiefs were probably trying to fend off any more disappearances.

                When he arrived by the stage and joined Isabella, he found out that the Ice god of Shadow village was not even attending, nor was the Weather god, due to both their brides still being missing. The bride of the Sea village had arrived, however, and Yuuri recognized her unique shade of hair. Mila was loud and confident, and she was doing a hell of a job trying to cheer Yuri up, though watching the younger fellow scream to be put back down did not give Yuuri any confidence that his mood would be lifted any time soon…pun not intended. The Water goddess was unable to leave the sea for lengthy periods of time, and there were some pressing matters she had to attend to back home, so Sara was unable to visit for the festival.

                There were a few other brides whose names Yuuri was struggling to remember, and the only one who seemed to have little interest in socializing was Seung-Gil Lee of Fate village. The tall, dark haired bride merely gave everyone his seemingly usual stoic glance and then went back to staring off into space. His god, however, the Truth god, seemed to be quite enjoying himself; though, for a cloudier day, Phichit refused to take off the darkened glasses he wore.  Yuuri wondered if it had something to do with his soul trial, but he felt somewhat intimidated to ask – little was known about Fate village, other than that it was small and hidden fairly far away from the rest of Hasetsu’s villages. None of the festivals were ever held there, and, according to Mila, their god always seemed nervous when people stood too close.

                The start of the festival brought little trouble, though Yuuri wanted the stage to swallow him whole when he stumbled over his words a bit while introducing himself.  His face was probably redder than the Sun’s village’s flag when the Moon Village’s chief told everyone of his singing talent – of course people would wish to hear then, and some of their own villagers, who were in attendance, were quick to back the request up. Yuuri finally caved to the pressure, but only in the agreement that he performed later in the evening. That at least gave him some time to prepare himself mentally, and maybe find some alcohol to boost his confidence.

                With the formalities of the festival soon over, Yuuri was started to relax when he suddenly got an uneasy feeling. It was the same nauseating feeling from the day before, when those…things, whatever they were, had attacked him and his traveling companions. Eyes scanning the crowd, he could not find any of them, but he knew something was wrong. Beside him, Yuri continued to look sullen and annoyed, but it did seem like Mila was concerned about something as well.  Did she feel it too?

                “Mila…” Yuuri spoke quietly, trying to get her attention. It worked and the red head glanced his way. “Do you feel them too?”

                The other bride nodded, looking around. “We outran them outside Sea, but I got a good enough look to give me nightmares last night. We gotta find them, or all these people will be in danger.”

                But spotting the shadowed beings was proving impossible. Where were they? It was not until the main part of the festival was over that they finally spotted them. There were two located near the temple entrance, while several more seemed to be zipping through the crowds and heading towards exits. Were they going to block off the festival attendees from escaping? Yuuri felt panicked, but really what was there that he could do? Unlike the gods, the brides had no powers. All he and Mila could do was to alert the others, including the chiefs and gods who were in attendance.  Once they started to try and get rid of the intruders, there would be no way to keep the villagers and other festival attendees from figuring out something was going on, especially with these beings being so violent.

                Yuri immediately threw a fit, and went to run for the temple, where Otabek was staying, finding his way blocked by the two beings standing guard. Before anyone could run to help him, one of the beings grabbed Yuri and threw him against the temple gate. It was not enough to knock the younger bride out, but it did stun him for a good moment.

                Villagers close by noticed the commotion and panicked, realizing now that there was something dangerous going on. It did not take long for the panic to grow and the crowd to become a crazed zone. Yuuri tried to stay with the other brides, though it was difficult with so many people rushing about. The gods present were attempting to do their best to fight the shadowed beings, which now seemed to be appearing more and more, but the beings were strong, and the only god present who was able to use their power at full strength was Otabek.  The Fire god had emerged from the temple, seemingly aware that his bride was in danger, but he was struggling to use his full powers to their potential with so many innocent people around.

                It was too chaotic, growing darker as the evening had started to wear on, and Yuuri found himself being shoved around as he tried to make his way through the crowd, hoping to catch site of his chief.  He spotted JJ making his way through the crowd, and it looked like vines were growing out of the Nature god’s back as he fought off some of the intruders who were attacking villagers.  Hoping to make it to the temple for possible safety, Yuuri soon found it was too late as he was grabbed at the shoulder, by a familiar dark, blurred hand, causing him to feel dizzy and faint all at once.

                “Let go of me!” He tried to shake off the shadowed being, but his attempts to fight back were thwarted, as the being was stronger than him.  He found himself being lifted off the ground and carted away, which caused him to struggle harder, kicking and shoving at the creature with all his might. “Viktor!”

                Useless; it was useless to call his god, but he could not help it. _Please, please, please…Viktor, please hear me!_ If only the Dream god was able to materialize and save him. If only he were Viktor’s soul mate, then Viktor could come save him-

                “-uri!!”

                A voice was calling him – a panicked, yet familiar voice, one he had only heard a few times before.

                “Viktor?!” Still struggling, Yuuri scanned the area around him, trying to find the owner of the voice through the running members of the crowd. “Viktor!”

                “Yuuri!”

                It was him! Where was he? How had he managed to show up? This was no dream! Fighting off the urge to be sick, and give in to the weakness caused by the shadowed being’s presence, Yuuri desperately continued looking through the crowd, not even knowing which person was Viktor until…a pair of soft blue eyes caught his and Yuuri knew exactly who they belonged to.

                The god was gorgeous, even with that horrified look up on his face; his outfit was unsurprisingly comprised of all white and silver, though it seemed to have gotten rather dirty while he was pushing his way through the panicked crowd.

                Yuuri wanted to call out to him, wanted to break free of the creature’s grasp and run to his god, but he never got a chance to do anything. The world went dark, the sounds disappeared, he briefly felt another hand grab his, and then…nothing.

 

* * *

 

                The smell of smoke hit his nose as he started to wake. Blinking, soft light hit his eyes as he opened them and tried to sit up quicker than he should have. “Oh…” Dizziness hit him and he grabbed his forehead.

                “You shouldn’t be so hasty, Yuuri.” A familiar voice spoke up nearby.

                “Phichit?”

                The Truth god was sitting off to the side by a window – a barred window. They were inside a round room, walls made of stone, and shut in by a large metal door that appeared to have at least three locks on it. A small fireplace was the only thing providing heat to the room. Was this a prison?

                “W-where am I?” Yuuri questioned, looking down to see he was still in his temple robes, sitting on a small bed with a thin blanket and one pillow.

                Phichit stood and stretched, glancing over at him with a slightly nervous, and uncomfortable smile. “You’re dead, Yuuri.”

                Yuuri stared back at the god, letting the words sink in. “I’m…what?”

                “You’re dead, gone, vamoosed!” The god looked away, shrugging. “But your soul’s being kept here for a while, security reasons and all that. Sorry. Looks like you weren’t his soul mate either.”

                Wait. No, no…he couldn’t be dead! Just like that?! Yuuri reached down and patted the blanket, feeling the soft fabric slip through his fingers. It did not _feel_ like he was dead; maybe…well, how was he supposed to know what being dead felt like?

                “Am I stuck here forever? Why are you here if I’m dead?”

                “They’ll move you eventually.” The god replied. “And I’m here because I’m death’s messenger, of course.”

                “Death’s messenger?”

                “Yeah,” Phichit grinned. “Fate village represents death, human’s fates, and I bear the truths of all those deaths.” He pulled his darkened glasses off, gazing back at Yuuri with dark eyes, that were surprisingly lined with some really nice eyeliner. “That’s why I don’t like being too close to humans. If I touch one of you I can see how long you have to live, and how you will die. It’s depressing really, and I prefer having fun! Still, I wasn’t too surprised you didn’t make it. Bad PR too with the villages after that stint Viktor pulled. Killed off at least a dozen who spotted him, just so he could try and rescue you. All for nothing…”

                For some reason, the knowledge that he was dead did not hurt nearly as much as knowing he was not the one Viktor had been looking for. And now…now there was nothing he could do for the Dream god. Viktor was going to move on, leave him behind, surely.

                “I am…truly sorry, Yuuri.” Phichit looked troubled as he shoved his glasses back on. There was an odd note in his voice as he turned away. “Things are…better this way, anyway. So…I’m going to go now. Don’t worry about the future; you’ll be heading to a good place.”

                “Phichit, wait!” Yuuri tried to stop the Truth god, but it was too late – Phichit had vanished.

                He was alone. Alone…and dead; was he truly dead?! “Ngh-“ He covered his mouth with shaking hands as a heavy sob escaped his lips. He would never see his family again, or friends, or Makkachin and Vicchan…or Viktor. Thinking of the god made his chest hurt; he had only been a temple bride for so long, known Viktor for less time than that, but he felt more of a connection with the god than anyone he had ever known before. Why had things had to end so soon, and what would become of all the other brides who had been at the festival? Had they all escaped? Who were those shadow beings working for? And what was going to happen to him now?


	12. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor has no clue as to the fate of his bride, but he's determined to find out, and he ends up with quite the group joining him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Guang Hong in this chapter~! I'm actually excited since this is my first time getting to write him into a fic. :D (sadly he's introduced at the end of the chapter, so won't really get to start writing him in till next chapter...not that he'll be saying much; you'll see ;) )
> 
> I'm at the part in this fic where it's going to be a struggle to write stuff without giving anything away when I don't mean to. haha.

“What were you thinking, Vitya?!” The angry question was punctuated by a heavy fist slamming against a wooden desk.

To be honest, Viktor had not been thinking at all. At the time he had merely been focusing on harnessing all his energy, so he could manifest himself in the physical world in an attempt to rescue Yuuri. He had always been an impulsive idiot, prompting many a complaint from his fellow gods who did not think he should waste too much time on someone who was not worth anything to him.  Sure a bride who was not a soul mate was kind of pointless, in the overall scheme of things, but…Viktor always felt a connection with each of his brides, no matter what – Yuuri had been no exception, and now…now he was gone.

“We have at least 12 deaths on our hands, thanks to that stint you pulled. Even Otabek knew to restrain his power in that kind of situation.” The older man in front of him sighed.

“I’m sorry, Yakov…” Viktor did feel bad, but he had his reasons. “I was only trying to save Yuuri!”

“Yet you didn’t, and in the process you killed off a ton of innocents. So now, on top of trying to explain those miscreants to the villages, we have to either explain your situation to them, or hope they forget seeing a dozen humans turn to dust.”

Why was Yakov so much more worried about that, when Yuuri was missing? Or…no, he did not want to consider the alternative.

His mentor stood, heading for the door. “I have to go check on Yura. We’re still missing those brides from Shadow and Sky, and now yours. Don’t forget the meeting tonight. It’s time we get everyone on equal footing about what we are up against. Don’t think about disappearing on us, Vitya. I will find you, and I don’t care what the Creator says – I will restrict you myself.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

* * *

 

Viktor watched his mentor leave, before getting up and heading for the balcony.  Compared to the chaotic scene he had experienced, mere hours earlier, Haven was calm, peaceful, and sunny.  It was the sacred home of the Creator, and the gods and their mentors.

Everything had happened so quickly. Viktor had already been somewhat weakened by attaching himself to Yuuri’s sub consciousness for the two days of his trip – it had been the only way he could keep up, and close, to his bride, for safety purposes – and having to use up the rest of his energy to materialize was enough to drain him. He had been useless at that moment, and he owed it to Otabek for having gotten him back to Haven.  No one had yet to tell him the situation down in Earth village, but Yakov had definitely given him an earful over the deaths he had caused.

Was one of those deaths Yuuri’s?

He had no idea. He had seen the darkened figure grab his bride, had seen Yuuri desperately looking around for him at the sound of his voice, and he even remembered the moment their eyes met. Yuuri’s gaze had faltered, those dark eyes widening in…what, Viktor had had no time to tell, but then a surge of people from the crowd had passed between them, cutting off his view for a good few seconds. By the time the distance had cleared, Yuuri and the shadowed being had disappeared. There was still a chance he was alive, right?

Viktor gripped the railing, looking down into the courtyard below. Someone was standing there, looking back up at him with a familiar huge grin, waiting for him to come down.

Well, if there was one thing Viktor knew for certain…one good thing had come from all of this.

The god looked down at the railing, watching it twist under his grasp. Oh, yes, something good indeed. Things had changed.

 

* * *

 

“Please tell me you have good news, Phichit.”

The darker skinned man shrugged, scraping some dirt from his perfectly manicured fingernails. “I know about as much as you do, _but_ …I do know that once your cute bride disappeared, the rest of those ‘things’ took off. They got who they came for. I tried to get a hold of Yuuri, but those things were strong, pulled his arm right out of my hand.” The Truth god shook his head. “I’m sorry, Viktor.”

“But you touched him, did you-“

“No.” Phichit interrupted. “There was not enough time, and someone ran into me, ruining the connection. I can’t tell you whether he’s alive or not, and I can only see a person’s lifespan and death when they’re touching me.”

Viktor felt his heart sink lower at the other god’s words. Phichit was the only one who could have helped him at the moment. They needed to know more.

“Hm, there’s something else though.” Phichit eyed him up and down, smirking. “You’ve changed.”

“It’s been a bit over 80 years since you’ve seen me last, Phichit. Of course I’d have changed.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Phichit shook his head. “Your aura, it’s…stronger. Have you…”

“Yes.”

Admitting it out loud made everything all the more real. It was actually surprising Yakov had not noticed either.  Viktor’s soul trial had been completed, and he felt…powerful. It was overwhelming.

The other god looked excited, always having been one for the latest gossip and news in their world. Knowing of another god’s soul trial completion first meant he would probably be telling everyone before Viktor got a chance, but oh well, it meant nothing to him. They had a problem.

Viktor did not know who his soulmate was.

True, he was holding out hope that Yuuri was still alive somewhere, and that his current bride was indeed his soul mate, but…there had been a lot of people running around at that festival. A dozen may have died while gazing upon him, but there were the odds that one person could have seen him and not have died. There were no rules stating that a soul mate necessarily had to be of bride status. Not knowing about the soul trials, or who he was, since it had been decades since a human had last seen him, anyone else who might have seen him and had not died, would have had no idea that was unusual.

“Viktor, you don’t know who your soulmate is, do you?”

“Nailed it.”

Phichit looked like this was the best thing to have ever happened. “Now that is the first time I have _ever_ heard of that happening! Well, if we find out Yuuri’s dead, for 100% sure, then we’ll know it’s not him. Other than that…there’s no real way to find out who else it could be, besides knowing it’s a random villager. What’s that story they have outside of Hasetsu?”

“I’ve never been outside of Hasetsu, Phichit.”

“Oh, right, Cinderella!” Phichit nodded to himself. “We can’t exactly go around asking people to look at you till we find the right person. There would be a string of bodies behind us. So, basically, you’re a free soul, with the benefits of having a completed trial. That’s not bad!”

Why did none of the other gods look at it the same way he did? Viktor did not care about his powers! For him, the soulmate was the most important part.

“I’m leaving.”

“Wait, what?”

Viktor turned away and looked towards the gate. “Whether he is dead or alive, I will find Yuuri. You know what’s going on, right? Come with me.”

“Viktor…” Phichit looked like he was debating the pros and cons of them leaving without attending the Creator’s meeting, “ugh, fine! Only because I kind of like Yuuri, and it’d be nice to know if he’s still alive out there or not. I’ll fill you in on the way, but we have to pick someone up.”

 

* * *

 

That someone happened to be Phichit’s bride – Seung-gil Lee – who was sporting a rather large cut on his forehead, which he had received during the festival fiasco.  Lee had tried to assist escorting villagers to safety during the attack, but his people skills were severely lacking, and his intimidating expressions did not help with getting others to trust him, especially during an emergency.

“You know, that Plisetsky likes to brag about being the first soulmate, but there are a few of us who have found ours too afterward…we just aren’t as vocal about it.” Phichit spoke up as they met up with the Fate village’s bride. Before Viktor had entered, Phichit had blindfolded Lee, just in case. None of them were entirely certain if a soulmate bride was immune to other gods’ powers.

“Who all has them by this point?” Viktor asked, somewhat regretting being so reclusive the past 80some years.  “You, Otabek…”

“Sara, and you now.” Phichit finished off the list. “Oh, Georgi too, but I heard his bride ran off on him. They had a really unique situation.”

“Unique?”

“Yeah, Anya was his soulmate, but turns out it was not the same for her. She ended up running off with some other human. I’ve never heard of that happening, but ah well. Course, he hasn’t been the same since then. It’s been about, what, 30 years now? He’s been acting really odd lately too, plus being upset on top of that due to Anya being kidnapped, but I figure that’s the least of our worries, what with these new enemies about.”

“Must I travel with this on?” Lee questioned, about the only words Viktor had heard him speak since their arrival.

“He can’t die, right? You would be able to tell?” Viktor asked Phichit.

Phichit looked concerned, but nodded. “He has no death line, but I’ve seen plenty of humans die before their time, so it could still happen…I guess…”

The bride pulled his blindfold off and stared at Viktor, looking unimpressed when nothing happened. “Well, there’s that…” He tossed the blindfold aside and went back to being silent.

“That’s weird, but I will accept it.” Viktor was glad he had not killed his fellow god’s soulmate.  “That means Yurio can see me too then next time.” It was a nice thought, knowing there were humans out there who could see him now. It did not solve his problems completely, but it was a start.

“Where exactly are we starting our search?” They could not waste any more time. Viktor wanted to head out and start finding any trace of Yuuri they could, before their mentors would come looking for them.

“Outside of Hasetsu, and across the sea.” Phichit responded, going over to a closet, pulling out some odd looking clothes. “It’s all humans there, and their gods aren’t like us; they don’t show themselves physically, ever. It’s weird, but anyway, you’ll have to be invisible or something, because you’ll kill everyone there. I know it’s nice now that you can stay in the physical world all you’d like, but we don’t want to make it too easy to be traced.”

“Guess getting to be too normal was too much to ask.” The Dream god sighed. “I haven’t tested the full extent of my powers yet, but at least I can still help you two out while invisible. If anything weird happens, assume it’s me unless I say otherwise.”

Phichit nodded, putting on his favorite pair of sunglasses. “Lee and I will get changed real quickly. You can stay the same, because no one will be seeing you, unless you want to…”

“I want to wear these odd clothes too.” Viktor pouted. They were going native, even if he was not going to be seen, it would still be nice to fit in.

He found an outfit tossed in his direction and went off to change. The clothing was peculiar, but he found it suited him nicely. It had been a long time since he had worn anything that was not silver or white, but he supposed that was no longer a necessary component of him using his powers. Not that it had ever _been_ necessary, but it was easier for him to build a dream world on top of a white, blank canvas; he could more easily imagine a room however he wished, though doing so outdoors was more of a challenge. The only reason he was able to do the back garden so well, was because he had lived there long enough to perfect what he imagined the garden to look like.

A few had said it was an amazing power, even at a basic level, but none of them could fathom the amount of destruction and chaos he could cause, especially now that his powers had been fully unleashed. He hoped he would never have to use them to their full extent, but with these dark creatures kidnapping brides…something big was going on, and he knew he would be obligated to fight back, not just for the sake of rescuing Yuuri – if Yuuri was still alive – but to also save all of Hasetsu.

“Oh ho ho, that looks good on you.” Phichit whistled at the sight of Viktor in his new attire. “I have a good idea for Outer fashion. Here, let me do up your tie.”

“What exactly am I wearing?” Viktor questioned, as he stood still for the other god to wrap something around his neck.

“It’s called a ‘suit’. I snagged it for the heck of it, but it really does look good on you.”

“Well, thanks…I suppose.” Viktor was glad Phichit hadn’t made him wear something silly or ugly. “Shall we head on out? It’s been long enough; I’m certain Yakov knows I’ve left by now.”

Phichit nodded, looking nervous. An angry Yakov was not what anyone wanted to deal with. “Yeah, let’s go. We’ll have to take a boat to the Outer countries. Hope you don’t get seasick!”

Viktor had never been on the sea, or to the Outer countries, so he could not respond.

 

* * *

 

The boat they were taking was not the biggest, but Viktor was certain that no matter what its size, he would still hate it.  He had been alive for a very long time, but he had always been a creature of the land.  The rocking motion, as the boat swayed on the darkened waters, was enough to make him feel sick. Focusing on his conversation with Phichit, as Lee stood silently nearby looking out over the sea, was all he could do to keep the nausea at bay.

“So, from what I do know,” Phichit was explaining, “those shadowed creatures are employed by someone who has twisted their souls into this sort of nothingness. They’re basically puppets, doing all the dirty work, while whoever owns them hides out like a coward. The mentors are pretty sure the one in charge is a god.”

“A god is doing this?!” Viktor was surprised, yet heartbroken at the thought. Why would one of their own start kidnapping brides? What did he, or she, have to gain from this?

Phichit nodded, going over and hugging Lee tightly from behind. There was a slight hint of a smile on his bride’s face.  Seeing them together made Viktor’s heart ache – he wanted that, so badly; yet here he was, stuck in this god awful situation not knowing who his soulmate was even after his trial was completed.

“A god, indeed, but something must have gone wrong. None of our own would do this on purpose.” Phichit looked concerned, hugging Lee tighter. “I think it is an illness, or something? Madness, maybe…but I don’t know what that would have to do with kidnapping brides. First Sky and Shadow village’s brides, and now Yuuri, while Mila was saying they ran by those beings on their way to the festival. She could be their next target. I almost feel sorry for them…Mila’s a bitch to piss off! Imagine trying to kidnap her!”

While it might have been funny in any other situation, the idea of Mila being kidnapped was a legitimate concern right now, so Viktor could not find the same amusement in it as Phichit could.

“When we reach the Outer countries, we’ll have to find this rogue god fast. I know everyone on our side will be mobilizing together to fight back, but we have to catch the god beforehand, in hopes we can find out what happened to Yuuri…”

“You have it bad for that cute little bride, don’t you?” Phichit smiled softly up at Viktor from behind Lee.

Did he? Viktor could not deny it; his feelings for Yuuri were different than what he normally felt towards his brides, except for that one…the one who had left him to suffer these past 80some years feeling almost nothing but despair over his situation.

“I need to know, Phichit. If he’s dead I want to at least be able to bring him home to his family.” A stronger wave shoved their boat about, causing Viktor to grab the railing, swallowing desperately to keep his self from throwing up.

Disgruntled squawking startled the trio, and they looked up to the top of the boat’s mast to see a small tawny bird, with distinct light tan markings on its chest, trying to settle itself, feathers ruffled from the wind.

“Well, what do you know…” Phichit grinned, waving up to the bird, “it’s Guang Hong.”


	13. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's escape leads to many more questions, and the start of an adventure off into a strange new place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really hard to write this stuff without giving away too many hints! T_T The next chapter is with Viktor and the gang, and then after that one we'll have a lot more fun with Yuuri~

Everything felt so real: the grass tickling his face; the wind blowing gently overhead; even the pain coming from his entire body brought a sense of realness to his current situation.  With a low whimper, Yuuri pushed himself to a seated position, glancing up towards the window he had jumped from a long while past. It was night, too dark to see fully up to the roof of the building, but he could tell he had fallen a long ways. The sounds from when he had hit the ground, those sounds still echoed in recent memory, despite him having been unconscious for quite a while.  The fall should have been enough to kill him, if he had still been alive, so…Phichit had to be right. He was dead. Except, how could he still feel so much pain if he was dead?

What was equally weird was the building in which he had fallen from. This was like no building he had seen before – the material was not wood like he was used to, and the windows had no shutters to keep out the draft; in fact, the only window that looked even remotely like something he might see back in his village, was the one from the room he had escaped from. The bars on that window had been poorly placed, which had led to his decision to jump earlier.

Where was he?

New sounds were invading his ears as he slowly started to process more of his surroundings. Some of the sounds sort of seemed familiar, but most he had no clue as to what they were coming from. The most sounds were coming from outside a wall that appeared to surround the building, at least as much as he could currently see. They were a constant background presence, coming and going, growing louder than fading away; a sort of rushing sound, occasionally interrupted by other peculiar noises, none of which Yuuri could place. The wall was solid, built of what he had no clue, maybe some sort of metal, but it was hard to say.

He was trying to focus more on the outer sounds, when bright lights suddenly beat down upon him. They were some odd form of orbed light, attached to tall poles lining the building. Dogs started barking, sounding like they were coming from around the building behind him.

Panicked, confused, Yuuri struggled to stand, finding he was slowly starting to feel better as time wore on, but still felt like he had been crushed a little. He took off in the direction away from the sounds of angry dogs, hoping he could find a way out of the gate. Not that he knew where he would go afterward – this was the afterlife, right? What was even out there?

Around the corner of the building he spotted more carefully tended plants, thicker bushes, and some sort of fountain with a statue of a fish…or something at least crossed with a fish; it was hard to tell. As he was trying to get around the fountain, an arm reached out from one of the thicker patches of bushes, dragging him behind before slapping a hand over his mouth, just in time for the dogs to race on by.

Yuuri’s heart was racing, wondering if this person was friend or foe. For some odd reason, thoughts of his family, and Viktor, passed through his mind, but as soon as the hand had moved and the person let go of him, he turned all of his attention to the person crouched behind him.

“Who are you?”

His rescuer was a tall man, with short hair and a, somewhat, unfortunate looking mustache – it looked like it had not been tended to for quite some time. The man’s clothes were peculiar, nothing like Yuuri had seen before. “Name’s Chris, formal introductions later; for now, let’s get you out of here.”

“Where exactly _is_ here?” Yuuri was confused, feeling rather disoriented, but at least those dogs were gone. He was surprised they had not smelled them out here in the bushes. “How did those dogs not catch us?”

“Oh, they’re robots!” Chris replied with a grin.  What the heck were robots?! “And we’re in the Outer countries, so I’m sure there’s not much here you’ll recognize, but don’t worry! It’s my job to keep you safe!”

“Says who?” Yuuri peeked out through the bushes. He could hear the…robot dogs barking still, and the lights were moving, sweeping over the area outside the building.

“Says ‘me’.” The other man laughed. “Alright, I don’t have much time, so we have to move. If we get separated, take the main road, head opposite the direction the cars closest to the sidewalk are going. Make yourself as lost as possible in the city.”

Cars? Sidewalk? City? This man was speaking gibberish, but Yuuri knew he had to remember everything he was told – otherwise he was really going to be in some more trouble, if he wasn’t already.

“Wait, Outer countries?” Yuuri looked up at Chris. “But…I’m _dead_. How can I be in the Outer countries?” He had never once visited them, but he had heard the tales. Apparently it was a world mighty different from their own, and there were no gods that walked among humans.

The barking was drawing closer again. Chris pulled a small object from his pocket, flicking open a small knife. “Here, no time to chat,” he grabbed Yuuri’s hand and made a small cut, ignoring his cry of pain as he then cut his own hand before holding their wounds together, “blood tracking: I’ll be able to find you no matter where you are now. Gate is open behind us; get out and run!”

Nothing was making sense, but Yuuri knew they were losing time. If he wanted to escape, now was his last chance. Hearing the approaching dogs, he ran, quickly spotting the gate. It was already hanging open and he charged through, stopping in his tracks at what he saw behind it.

There was a road, different from Hasetsu’s dirt and stone roads, but Yuuri knew it was indeed one, because a road was for travel, and whatever was flying by him on that road…it was going somewhere, fast. There were people inside these speeding objects, which he now recognized as what had been making the far off sounds he had heard before.

 _Head opposite the direction the cars are going…_ Those were called ‘cars’? That was what Chris had said, but it still made Yuuri nervous. He had very little legitimate knowledge of the Outer countries, and the idea of getting lost in a city, as Chris had called it, was intimidating. Still, the sounds of the dogs spurred him on and he took off down the sidewalk.

 

* * *

 

Several locks undone, and a few curses later over the ridiculous amount of security, a tall man, wearing a heavy, dark robe, walked into the room. The fading fire barely lit the angular features of the man’s face, from under his hood. When the man realized his prisoner was no longer in the room, he threw a fit; yelling out loud and slamming the door behind him on the way back out. That room had been specially designed to resemble Hasetsu aesthetics, to keep the brides from questioning their whereabouts too much; this one specifically, Yuuri, was under strict supervision for multiple reasons, and yet none of their guards could do a thing – if the guy jumped out the damn window! Whoever had put the bars up in the window was going to die, maybe that would help ease his temper.

Their Goddess was going to be pissed. The man sighed, heading down the hallway where the other kidnapped brides were being held. Hopefully those few were still locked safely in their rooms. He was in deep trouble, and it was not even his fault – he had done everything right! It was difficult controlling those remnants. No excuses would save him now; he could only hope that the Goddess still had enough use for him that she would not give him up to his despair.

As the man walked, his shadow split behind him, sliding along the wall until it disappeared around a corner. He needed to tend to the brides, but the rest of him had another mission to do – finding Yuuri.


End file.
